Final Fantasy VII: The Alter Project
by GigaBahamut
Summary: 1st Class Zack Fair was meant to die, but his life was saved thanks to his friend Cloud Strife. He has been given a second chance to change his life, though he soon realizes that no matter how hard he changes, the past will always find a way back to him.
1. PROLOGUE

Hello everybody. It's me, been a while. I know it's been a long time, but life has been a real drag lately. I have barely any time to continue my works and I'm always wanting to start a new story before finishing them and that is pretty bad. But anyways, I just wanted to work on an experiment and write a story where Zack survives from the Shin-Ra attack. The introduction is mixed with a little bit of Crisis Core ending and also from the secret video in Final Fantasy 7. I don't know if anyone did this or not, but I just wanted to try and see it and read people's reviews. Well enough chatter, here is the prologue for Final Fantasy VII: Alternative. Enjoy!

* * *

**PROLOGUE _(Revised 6/24/2011)_  
**

_'Argh…where…where am I,'_ thought the man.

The man slowly opened his eyes only to see him inside some kind of machine filled with a water-like liquid with a unique green color. He was somehow able to breathe in it without drowning inside of the machine, but right now he felt weak and could barely utter a word. He turned to the left and he saw another man with blonde spiky hair in the same tube as he was in, but noticed he was unconscious. He tried to remember what happened, but everything was a blur. Then it struck him in the back of the head.

* * *

Zack Fair rushed towards the top of Mt. Nibel towards the mako reactor while the village below him, Nibelheim, was burning away. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. Sephiroth had gone completely mad, killing the town folks and left complete destruction. There was one place Zack knew where he found find him and that would be mako reactor where it was keeping Jenova inside. There was a lot of confusion in his mind, things that didn't make any sense to him, but right now wasn't the time to think about those kinds of things. Right now he had to find Sephiroth and stop him.

As Zack raced inside the building structure, he noticed a woman in front him, kneeling down at a man's body with a long sword next to him with a bloody mark on the tip of the blade. She was crying, holding the man's head against her. Zack knew that woman; it was Tifa, their tour guide when they first arrived in Nibelheim while on a mission to investigate the Mt. Nibel Mako Reactor.

"Tifa," said Zack softly as he slowly walked towards the girl.

"Papa…He killed him. Sephiroth killed him and many of the town's folk," mumbled Tifa.

Zack remained silent and before he could say another word, Tifa's voice changed, from sobering voice to a voice filled with anger and hatred. She gently laid her father back down and picked up the sword, tightly clutching it. She eyed at Zack with burning hatred.

"Sephiroth. Shinra. SOLIDER. You. I hate it. I hate all of it," yelled Tifa.

She turned her back towards Zack and went to chase after Sephiroth. Zack tried to yell after Tifa to stop, but it seemed she couldn't hear or that she was ignoring him. Zack bit his lips and hurried after Tifa, trying to stop her knowing that she didn't stand a chance and Sephiroth will kill her.

* * *

Sephiroth was at the top of the stairs, trying to gain access to a door that read JENOVA. He smiled and placed his hands against the door, whispering to it, as if he was trying to talk to it.

"Mother," Sephiroth whispered, "I'm here. Please open the door. I want to see you. Please let me in."

As he tried to find some way to get through the door, Tifa appeared at the lower steps of the room with the sword held tightly in her hand. She took one step on stairs, glaring at Sephiroth with his back turned against her. Sephiroth seemed to know her presence and turned around facing her down below, his eyes filled with emptiness and coldness, no longer the man he was once before.

"How could you," yelled Tifa towards Sephiroth at the top, "How could you do that to my papa and the rest of the town folks?"

Sephiroth gave a cold glare towards Tifa, not in the mood for anything. As Tifa ran towards Sephiroth, he stood in his ground and waited for her. Tifa held the sword high in the air and as she was ready to strike, Sephiroth just lifted up his hand and grabbed her hand before she could try and cut him down. Tifa tried to break free, but it seemed it was pointless as Sephiroth wasn't even having a hard time holding both of her hands with one of his. He managed to break the sword out of her hand and as Tifa stared horrified at him, Sephiroth brought down his sword and slashed her down at her chest. Tifa couldn't utter a scream, still staring at Sephiroth, and fell on the stairs sliding down. Zack just came in and yelled out her name as he saw her lying at the foot of the stairs. As he ran towards her, the door behind Sephiroth suddenly opened, showing a small smile running across his face as he slowly walked inside the room. Zack kneeled down and tried to help Tifa out, but she managed to turn her back against him and stared crying again.

"Leave me alone," cried Tifa weakly, "Just leave me alone."

"Tifa…I'm so sorry," whispered Zack.

As Zack got up and slowly went up the stairs. Just as he was half-way up to the door Sephiroth just went through, he turned his head around as he heard Tifa whispering to herself, saying something like "Where are you? You promised you would come and save me whenever I was in trouble". Zack was wondering who she was talking about, but realized it would be pointless to ask her. As he turned his head back to the front, his eyes filled with anger, and raised his hand, clutching the gigantic sword's handle that rested on his back. He pulled it out and ran into the room where Sephiroth went inside and then everything went black.

* * *

'_I remember the fight with Sephiroth and losing to him,'_ thought Zack. He looked back up towards Cloud, _'Cloud. You did it. You beat Sephiroth.'_

Just then, Zack heard a door open and saw a man with a lab coat holding a tray of food. As he set the tray down, he went up to the tube Cloud was in and pressed a few buttons on a keypad. The water that Cloud was in dissolved away and Cloud sank to the bottom of the tank still unconscious. Zack quickly closed his eyes pretending he was still unconscious and heard the man walking up to him, pressing the keypad on his tube. As the water dissolved away and hearing the tube's door slide open, Zack quickly opened his eyes. The man in the lab coat jumped and froze in place as Zack lunged at him, knocking him out with one punch.

"Sorry about that," mumbled Zack.

Zack saw his sword resting against a wall nearby his tube and went to retrieve it. Once he placed his Buster Sword on his back, he went towards Cloud and lifted him up, putting his arm around his neck as he held him around the waist for support and slowly walked out of the room.

* * *

"Yo! Old guy! We at Midgar yet?" yelled Zack from the back of the truck.

"Shaddap! You're lucky I even gave you a ride!" yelled the old man.

Zack sighed and stared at Cloud with a smile, "What are you doing once we reach Midgar?" Cloud remained silent and Zack continued, "Well…I know what I'm gonna do. No wait, never mind. No I don't. Yep…gotta change my plans! Hmm…no matter what I do, I need some money first…" He clapped his hands together and spoke loudly in excitement and smiled at Cloud, "Hey! Wanna start a business? Though problem is, what would we do?" He got up and knocked at the window to get the driver's attention, "Hey pops, do you know business that I'll be able to do?"

"What are you saying," asked the old man, "You're still young ain't ya? You need to try out everything! You gotta pay your dues while you're still young. Go out and look for what you really want."

"'Everything' he says," groaned Zack to himself, "Not much of a help…HEY! THAT'S RIGHT!" He quickly got up and started performing squats, which was probably kind of dangerous to do since they were on a rocky road and he could bounce off since the truck is moving, but right now he was in too much of a good mood to care, "I have a lot of knowledge and skills that other people don't have right? All right, I've made up my mind! I'll open up a business that does everything! I'm gonna become a mercenary! Yeah! Thanks pops!"

The old man started coughing on his air, completely caught off guard by Zack's response, "Hey…didn't you even hear a world I said?"

"Listen, I'm gonna become a mercenary and that's that," laughed Zack, "Boring stuff, dangerous things…I'm going to do everything depending upon the reward. I'm gonna be rich!"

The old man was groaning loudly in annoyance, not believing what he was hearing. Zack paid no attention to him and sat back down, sitting next to Cloud and smiled at him, "So, Cloud. What are YOU gonna do?" Cloud just continued sitting there, lost in his own mind and remained silent, staring blankly into nothing. Zack waved his hand at him and laughed, "Haha, I'm just kidding! I wouldn't do a thing like that and just abandon you. We're friends, right? Mercenaries, Cloud. That's what you and me are gonna be. We're going to open a business that does everything, together. Do you understand, Cloud?"

Zack got back up and rested his arms on the roof of the truck, staring into the horizon in front of him. Just a little further more and they'll reach Midgar. He wondered how Aerith was doing and how she would react when she sees him. And then, he heard a shot…

* * *

A lone helicopter was flying over the desert. Two men in suits were piloting it and eyeing down at the ground looking for something. The red haired man, known as Reno kept scanning the horizon, but sighed and looked his bald partner Rude, wondering he had any luck. Rude shook his head and went back to staring into the wasteland and Reno sighed again.

"They can't be serious," groaned Reno, "There is no way we are going to find two needles in a haystack this size."

"There is no mission that is impossible for the-," said Rude looking back at Reno, but before he could finish his sentence, Reno cut him off knowing what he was going to say.

"For the Turks. Yeah, yeah," sighed Reno.

Rude just stared at him and went back looking at the front, "Also, Tseng apparently has something to give him."

"Who the target," asked Reno in disbelief.

Rude just nodded and Reno starred at him, not believing what he was hearing, "So were couriers now? Delivering packages to fugitives huh?"

Rude remained silent and Reno went back to looking down at the ground as there was no point in arguing about it. Just then they got a signal and turned pressed onto their earphones to hear a woman's voice.

"Reno. Rude. What's the status," asked the woman through the earphones.

"We got nothing," sighed Reno.

"You, Cissnei," asked Rude.

"Likewise," replied Cissnei, "I'm heading to point 235. You two take point 120."

"Roger," replied Rude as he moved the control stick for the helicopter to change its course.

"Alright, let's get going," said Reno helping out with the controls.

* * *

The old man quickly drove away when Zack told him to drop him and Cloud off and to get away as fast as he could. Shinra had caught up with them and it seems there weren't letting him get away this time. Zack quickly sat Cloud down and placed him inside a small opening in a huge rock, hoping no one would find him. He kneeled down and smiled weakly at Cloud, giving out a small chuckle and playfully rubbing his head. He got back up and slowly walked away, his back facing Cloud. He didn't even notice his hand reaching for him…

Hundreds of Shinra grunts aimed their rifles at Zack, forcing him to a complete stop. Zack examined the area and shook his head, rubbing his forehead, wishing this could be avoided.

"Oh oh boy," sighed Zack with a light smile on his face, "The price of freedom…sure is steep."

Zack removed his Buster Sword and held it high above him. He brought it down closer to him and rested his head at the flat side of the sword. He spoke softly to himself and remembered what Angeal had always told him.

"Embrace your dreams and…whatever happens…protect your honor." He swung the sword and switched to his usual battle position, gripping tightly onto the handle and charged at them, "I AM EX-SOLDIER 1st CLASS, ZACK FAIR! COME AND GET ME!"

* * *

Zack quickly retreated to pick up Cloud from his safe spot, hoping he was alright. He spotted him, still where he was and untouched. Zack gave a weak sigh of relief knowing he was fine and rushed up to him.

"I'm getting you out of here," mumbled Zack.

Three grunts slowly crept behind Zack, but Zack was too weak to notice them and was focusing all of his attention towards Cloud. Cloud tried to utter a word, but no sounds could come out of his mouth. One of the grunts raised his rifle up and aimed it behind Zack, ready to fire. Cloud slowly lifted up his hand, trying to point a finger at him to warn Zack. The ex-SOLDIER noticed this and as he looked behind him, he heard a rifle going off...

* * *

As the train went to a complete stop on the mako reactor 1 station, a man came out from the first cart. A Shinra grunt ran up towards him and was punched by the him, knocking him out cold. As the second grunt saw this and went to chase after the intruder, a female came out of the second cart and kicked him, knocking him out as well. Soon a fat man and tall dark-skinned man with a gun-arm came out of the third cart and gave out a whistle. A man with blonde hair holding a sword attached to his back jumped down and looked at the gun-arm man for any info.

"C'mon newcomer. Follow me," said the gun-armed man as he ran towards the entrance towards the mako reactor.

The blonde haired man looked up and looked behind him to see another man with long spiky black hair walking towards him. He smiled and placed his arm around him and looked at their destination in front of them.

"Our first mission," said the black haired man smiling, "Nervous Cloud?"

"A little. You? This is what you wanted to be Zack," smiled Cloud.

"Nah. Excited. With this job we are going to rich Cloud," laughed Zack, "Race you!"

As Zack dashed off to meet with the others, Cloud followed close behind him as they head towards the mako reactor. Zack was hoping to start his own mercenary business, but when he heard about a group called the AVALANCHE, an eco-terrorist group opposing the actions of the Shinra Company and trying to save the world, he decided to give them a try and see what they do, besides, they were paying him and Cloud and large amount of gil so it couldn't be all that bad. After all what Shinra has put them both in, wouldn't hurt to give them a little payback.

**END OF PROLOGUE**

* * *

End of introduction. Good, bad, both, let me know. Depending on what everyone else thinks I might work on it, but of course I should also complete my stories before continuing a new one, but I'll figure that out some other time. All reviews are welcome.


	2. THE FLOWER GIRL

Yay. Another chapter. Yeah, the prologue was just a mere introduction, few scenes revisited, only change was Zack has arrived with Cloud on their first mission to Mako Reactor. Nothing much. I just read through "The Difference One Life Makes" by Irish-Brigid and his story on a alternate universe where Zack is also alive, is a lot better than mine, but I hope I get as many as good reviews as he is getting. Again, enough chatter, here is the next chapter.

**CHAPTER 01: THE FLOWER GIRL**

A huge explosion came from Mako Reactor 1 and Midgar could not only see the explosion, but as well feel the shockwave from it, stretching across the entire city. President Shinra looked down from his office window from the Shinra Inc. Headquarters. He grunted as he pulled a cigar from a gold case, lighting it, and continued to stare down at the explosion.

"Damn, AVALANCHE," President Shinra grunted. Soon after, he moved away from his window and went back to his desk, sending out a call to his fellow employees to arrange a meeting with the other staff members.

* * *

Jessie was working on something inside the ruins of the Mako Reactor while the rest of the members waited. The mission was a success and hoped they made some progress on their world-saving campaign. Zack laid his back against the rubble, crossing his arms as he watched the members of AVALANCHE setting up a small explosion to get rid of any remaining structure of the building, though he felt it was pointless since the entire Mako Reactor was blown into a million pieces. Still, he couldn't believe four people, plus Cloud and himself, would be able to cause all this damage and get through security.

"That should keep the planet going…at least for a little while longer," said Biggs as he watched his comrades, waiting for Jessie to be done.

"Yeah," said Wedge as he scouted the area, making sure no other Shinra SOLIDERS would be arriving.

Barret only nodded and soon after, Jessie was done setting up the explosion. She ordered everyone to back off the explosion and everyone started to head out of the tunnel. The bomb Jessie had set up exploded and soon a wave of fire erupted and was chasing after them, trying to find an opening to release the flames. The gang was able to escape just seconds before the flames could reach them, though Wedge seemed to be in a panic as he was running around in circles, but managed to calm himself down and walk up towards the others.

"All right, now let's get out of here," ordered Barret, "Rendezvous at Sector 8 station! Split up and get on the train!"

Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge nodded in agreement and went off in separate ways. Barret was about to leave until Zack stopped him before he could run off towards the train station.

"H, hey! Wait! Not to sound rude or anything," said Zack crossing his arms, "But what about our money?"

Barret let out some kind of growl like he was some kind of angry beast, and pretty much, he was like angry beast, turning around and glaring towards Zack, which made him sweat-drop.

"Save it 'till we're back at the hideout," Barret yelled towards Zack, even though he seemed like he was yelling both at him and Cloud.

Barret had ran off and Zack gave a small sigh. It wasn't like he didn't care about the planet, he kind of liked the idea he was, even though the AVALANCHE view was a lot different than what Zack was expecting when it comes to a hero saving the planet. Zack nodded towards Cloud and soon both off heading out towards the station.

* * *

As the two were heading towards the station, their walk was silent and Zack seemed not to like the quiet walk, so he tried to think of something to say to Cloud.

"So, mission went great," said Zack starting a conversation.

"Yeah," replied Cloud, his tone sounding like the mission was nothing.

"That Guard Scorpion put up a fight," said Zack, "I remember fighting those things back in Junon when I was chasing Hollander."

"Oh yeah, I remember him," said Cloud, remembering a mission he had with Zack when chasing Dr. Hollander along with Genesis Rhapsodos in Modeoheim a few years back. Zack was holding his own against Genesis while he held Hollander. Then Hollander was able to break himself free and knock Cloud out. Cloud slapped his face, realizing he got pushed down by a tubby man like Hollander, which made Zack laugh.

"Haha, don't worry about it too much," laughed Zack, "That was in the past and hey, sometimes tubby men are tough to beat."

"Probably for an infantryman," said Cloud and then looked at Zack, "But maybe not for a 1st Class."

"That may be, but there is no 1st Class or infantryman," said Zack as he placed his arm around Cloud, "It's just you and me Cloud. We are both ex-SOLIDERS and that's all that matters."

Cloud let out a small chuckle and the both continued heading down towards the Sector 8 train station. They walked into the main street, witnessing the residents running all over the place and finding a place to evacuate and be in a safe location. Zack was beginning to have his doubts about joining AVALANCHE. He still couldn't believe he let himself do this. Years before, he was completely loyal to Shinra and he always spoke of dreams and honor on being a hero and as SOLIDER. Now, as he saw the people running for their lives and damage the explosion he caused, he realized he was no hero. He should have stopped this somehow. He wanted to give payback to Shinra, but now, he wasn't sure anymore. Just then, Zack witnessed a man trying to lift up some ruined metal wall off a civilian, but with no luck.

"Wait here Cloud," said Zack as he walked off towards the man.

Cloud watched his friend went to go help out the man and as he was away, Cloud turned his head to see a woman, an attractive woman standing in front of him. She wore a long pink dress that went down to her shin, the top buttoned and few of the buttons on the lower part left unbuttoned, a small red jacket over her dress, brown boots, metal bracers on her wrist, and held a small basket of flowers. She had long brown hair that was twisted together nicely into a ponytail with a red ribbon holding it in place behind her head. She was soon pushed down by a man that had ran passed by. Cloud went off to help her and offered his hand to her, letting her grab his hand to pull herself off. She patted the dirt off of her and smiled at Cloud, which Cloud could only stare.

"Thanks," smiled the flower girl, "Um, can I ask you something?"

Cloud snapped out of his stare and only nodded to her, telling her that it was ok to ask him a question.

"What happened here," asked the flower girl as she surveyed the area, as if she was some kind of tourist.

"It's nothing," said Cloud trying not make her sound worried or scared, "It's better if you get out of here."

"Oh," replied the flower girl, hoping for a real answer, but she seemed to notice the man was just watching after her and she was glad there was somebody that cared about her.

"Um, by the way," said Cloud, turning his head away sounding embarrassed by what he was going to say next.

"Yes," asked the girl, smiling sweetly at Cloud as if she didn't mind.

"…I don't see that many flowers around here," said Cloud looking back at her.

"Oh these," asked the girl as she looked down at her basket of flowers and back at Cloud, "Do you like them? They are only a gil."

"A gil huh," asked Cloud as he inched closer to the flowers. It would be a nice gift to take back with him to the hideout and the girl seemed really nice and sweet to trust. Cloud nodded and handed out a gil to her, giving Cloud a huge bouquet of flowers, which surprised him, "Hey, this is too much for a gil."

"It's ok," smiled the girl, "I have plenty and it seemed no one wanted to buy them so I sell them at a lower price. Consider it as a gift for being my first customer up here. Well I should get going. Thank you so much for buying them."

As the flower girl headed off, Cloud looked back his bouquet of flowers. He wondered what he would do them with all these flowers, but still, it was nice he only got it for a gil. As Cloud continued to head off towards the station, Zack was soon running after him, calling out his name. Cloud turned around and then remembered he had left him while he was helping that man save that civilian under all that rubble earlier.

"I was looking all over for you," said Zack as he caught up with Cloud, breathing heavily as if he had ran a huge marathon, "One minute I'm helping a guy, next thing I know, you are off somewhere!"

"Sorry about that," said Cloud as held his bouquet of flowers against him.

"Where did you get that," asked Zack as he inched closer to the flowers.

"I got them from a –"

Before Cloud could finish his sentence, a group of Shinra SOLIDERS were walking up towards them, which caught both Cloud and Zack's attention. They both stood their ground and the group of SOLIDERS stopped themselves from moving any forward.

"You two! Identification," yelled one of the SOLIDERS.

"1st Class SOLIDER," yelled Zack pointing at his uniform and Mako eyes, "Any other proof you need?"

"We recognize the uniform and eyes 'sir,' but we still need some identification," yelled the SOLIDER.

Another SOLIDER pulled out some kind of PDA and scanned through his files, trying to look for any info on Cloud and Zack. The one that had called out towards them peered down at his teammate's shoulder to also see if he could spot any info on them. This made Cloud and Zack sweat a little as it was only in a matter of seconds before they would get noticed that they were marked as fugitives.

"Zack," whispered Cloud sounding nervous.

"I know," whispered Zack. He slowly walked up towards the SOLIDERS and tried to talk to them, "What you guys doing?'

"Freeze," yelled the same SOLIDER, "Stand your ground. We are still looking for some identification."

"Zack," whispered Cloud again, getting even more nervous.

"I know," whispered Zack back, knowing he didn't had that much time.

The SOLIDER nodded toward his teammate that was holding the PDA earlier and as he placed it away, the men started pointing their guns at them, slowing approaching them.

"Don't move! Put your hands up in the air where we can see them," ordered the SOLIDER.

Zack sighed and raised up his hands as he was told to do so. As two of the SOLIDERS came up towards him, Zack quickly took hold of the SOLIDERS rifle on the left, knocking him out with the butt of the rifle and removing it off his grip, then swinging it at the second SOLIDER on his right. As both men fell on the ground, the rest of the squad began firing at Zack and Cloud, both of them quickly running off and evading their bullets by hiding at a nearby corner of a building.

"You do remember how to use this right," yelled Zack, holding the rifle and giving it to Cloud as he was shouting over the shower of bullets that were trying to hit them.

Cloud nodded and tucked the lower tip of the bouquet in the back of his pants and held tightly onto the rifle. He quickly removed himself from the corner they were taking shelter in and began firing back towards the Shinra SOLIDERS. Cloud was able to get a good few hits on them, but quickly went back as soon as he ran out of bullets and had to reload. Cloud let out a nod, which allowed them to quickly get away from the SOLIDERS after them. As they ran off, the group of the SOLIDERS there were holding out against were radioing in for back-up.

* * *

As Zack and Cloud continued running off, they were stopped by another group of Shinra SOLIDERS, blocking their path in the ally and forcing them to turn back. Soon after, another group of SOLIDERS was blocking them which meant they had to turn back. Once they reached the middle of the street, they were trapped. Shinra SOLIDERS had blocked their path in every possible area. They all pointed their guns at them and Zack pulled off his sword and was on his battle stance, ready for a fight while Cloud pointed his rifle at them.

"Nowhere to run," yelled one of the men, "You're coming with us!"

"Sorry. Not an option," grinned Zack, "Can I get another one?"

Just then, a small train could be heard blowing its horn just under them. Cloud looked behind him and down, realizing they were above a train tunnel and below them were the train tracks coming out of the tunnel and into another tunnel. He focused his attention back the SOLIDERS and whispered to Zack.

"There are train tracks behind us, coming out of the tunnel," said Cloud giving Zack some good info, "If we can jump just when the train comes by, will be able to get away."

"Gotcha," smiled Zack, still eyeing at the SOLIDERS. As they could hear the train getting louder and louder, Zack placed his Buster Sword on his back and gave a small wave, "Well, wish I could stay and play, but the two of us got a train to catch."

As the two quickly turned around and jumped over the small brick wall that stood in their way, they landed hard on top of the train and were soon getting away in a quick speed. Zack smiled and looked back, giving out his signature 'Later Alligator' look and smile, and soon disappeared inside the tunnel.

* * *

As the train continued to move, Biggs, Wedge, Jessie, and Barret were sitting the cargo room. Everyone had met up in the train station, however, two were missing. They all had wondered where Cloud and Zack had gone.

"Cloud and Zack never came," sighed Wedge sadly as he stared at the ground.

"…You think the two of them were killed," asked Biggs as he stared at the others looking for an answer.

"No way," yelled Barret towards Biggs. He may not trusted those guys, but he knew those guys wouldn't go down that easily, especially if it was just their first mission with AVALANCHE.

"Cloud," sighed Jessie as she stared out of the window.

When the bomb had been placed, Jessie got her foot stuck and was unable to remove it. Cloud had came to her rescue and helped her foot get unstuck. At first she didn't trust Cloud when they had first met on the mission, thinking he and Zack were the enemy until Biggs had told her they were ex-SOLIDERS. And after saving her, she began to have a crush on him.

"Say, do you think Cloud's…going to fight to the end for AVALANCHE," asked Biggs as he starred towards Barret breaking the silence.

"The hell would I know," yelled Barret as he was in no mood for 20 questions and answers, "Do I look like a mind reader?"

Barret banged his fist down at the crate next to him and continued to yell out towards his gang, "Hmph! If y'all weren't such screw-ups…"

"Hey Barret. What about our money," asked Wedge, but of course that was a bad question to ask, and Barret responded by banging his fist again on the crate, making Wedge look down, "Uh…nothin'…sorry."

Biggs and Jessie groaned softly knowing they were probably not going to get paid after that stunt Wedge had made. Just then, everyone heard a small noise above them, like a thud, and then a small banging from the door. At first everyone stared at each other, wondering which person caused it, and then they heard it again, only a little louder. Just then, the side door opened and both Zack and Cloud jumped inside making an entrance. Everyone jumped in surprised and yelled out their names, except Jessie softly calling out Cloud's name, thinking they were dead or captured by the Shinra SOLIDERS.

"Looks like we were a little late," laughed Zack scratching his head.

"You damn right you two were late," yelled Barrett at the two, "Come waltzin' in here makin' a big scene!"

"It's no big deal," said Cloud, looking away from Barret, "Just what we always do."

"Shi't," grunted Barret as he gave out an angry look towards Cloud, "Havin' everyone worried like that! You don't give a damn 'bout no one but yourself!"

Cloud glared back towards Barret and gave out a small grunt that was barely heard, "Hm…you were worried about us?"

"Wha," yelled Barret back, not believing what he was hearing, "That's it! I'm takin' it outta both of your guys money, hot stuff!"

As Barret walked off towards the end of the cart that was heading to the front of the train, he turned around yelling out towards the gang who were now back together, "Wake up! We're moving out! Follow me!"

As Barret jumped off into the next cart in front, Wedge walked up to the both of them, "Hey Zack! Hey Cloud! You two were great back there!"

Once Wedge had jumped, Biggs went to the two of them as well, "Heh heh…you guys. We'll do even better next time."

Once Biggs had left, Jessie walked up towards the side door Cloud and Zack had gone through and closed it. She smiled at Zack and then towards Cloud, noticing his face was dark, "Oh! Cloud! Your face is pitch-black…"

Jessie took out some kind of handkerchief from her pocket and rubbed the soot off his face, although, Jessie's handkerchief was a little dirty and although she removed the dirt off his face, Cloud now had some kind of grease-looking dirt on his face now. Jessie smiled as she thought it seemed better knowing Cloud's face was 'clean,' and before Zack could ask her on how his face looked like, Jessie had already jumped off to the next cart. Zack sighed and stared at Cloud, which made Cloud stare back in confusion.

"What was that about," sighed Zack.

"What was what about," asked Cloud, having no clue what Zack is talking about.

"She cleans your face and walks off," said Zack complaining and then points at his own face, "How does my face look?"

"Like I'm staring at a monster," chuckled Cloud softly.

"Low man," said Zack glaring at Cloud, "Real low."

As Zack used his hand to brush off the dirt, he left Cloud and jumped into the next train. Cloud then reached down behind him and grabbed the flowers he had placed. It was still left undamaged, which made Cloud sigh in relief. He was thinking on what he should do with it, but then decided maybe he would give it to 'her' once they arrived. It was going to be a long ride to reach their destination, so as he placed the flowers back behind him, he jumped off into the next cart to meet with the others.

**END OF: THE FLOWER GIRL**

Yay, chapter one done. Kind of skipped the mission since I was thinking everyone would know what goes on in that area and I was also trying to avoid a huge action sequence. I'm not good when it comes to making a battle scene so I try to put a little into the story. Zack completely forgot that Cloud had a bouquet of flowers! Oh well, maybe he might find out later on. Anyways, review! Please and thank you!


	3. SEVENTH HEAVEN

Hello everybody. Thanks for the reviews. Really appreciated it. Hoping I get more readers and reviewers in the future. Here is the next chapter.

* * *

**CHAPTER 02: SEVENTH ****HEAVEN**

The train screeched to stop as it reached its final destination at the Sector 7 station. Everyone began getting off; Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie moved ahead to scout the area, and then Barret came out of the train behind them, moving towards the bottom of the stairs. As Zack and Cloud were the last people to get off the train, Barret yelled out towards the members, "Yo! Get over here, all'ya!"

As soon as all the AVALANCHE members headed towards Barret, he continued, "Mission was a success. But don't get lazy now. The hard part's still to come! Don't y'all be scared of that explosion! Cause the next one's gonna be bigger than that! Meet back at the hideout! Move out!"

Barret was the first to run off while Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie followed close behind him. Zack and Cloud just stood there and sighed to one another.

"Does he ever stop yelling," asked Zack, "One of these days he is going to lose his voice."

"I wouldn't mind that," said Cloud as he started walking off, "Be nice to hear peace and quiet."

"Haha, I guess," laughed Zack as he started walking as well, catching up towards Cloud.

As the two reached down, rapid gunfire could be heard inside a bar called 7th Heaven and a few group of people were running out. Barret came out of the building, yelling towards everyone and banging his chest with his hands, well, hand and gun arm, like some kind of giant ape. Everyone backed off and Barret stood there standing guard at the entrance.

"He should work on his manners when it comes to kicking people out," sighed Zack.

As the two ex-SOLIDERS walked up to Barret, Barret gave a small smirk towards Cloud, "Heh heh. You wanna meet your little baby?"

Zack looked at Cloud wondering what he was talking about, but Cloud was even more confused than Zack and asked, "Little baby?"

"Hey! Don' act like you don't know what I mean," yelled Barret towards Cloud, "I'm tellin' you…whatever, go on ahead."

As Barret moved aside, Cloud and Zack walked towards the bar and as soon as they walked in, a small four year old girl jumped in front of Cloud and yelled out, "Papa!"

Both Cloud and Zack jumped at the sight of the little girl and also the word she had just said to Cloud. Zack eyed at Cloud, wondering when was Cloud a father. However, the little girl became quiet and ran towards a woman, with long black hair tied into a ponytail, the end splitting apart like a dolphin's tail, wore a white tank top and black mini-skirt with a belt and suspenders, red and black gloves that extend to her elbows with red boots, and a metal elbow guard on her left elbow.

"Marlene! Aren't you going to say anything to Cloud," asked the woman as she smiled down at the little girl.

'_What about me,'_ thought Zack as she only mentioned Cloud's name, but not his.

She looked back at Cloud and smiled towards him, "Welcome home, Cloud. Looks like everything went well. Did you fight with Barret?"

'_Again,'_ thought Zack.

Cloud just scratched his head and nodded towards her which only made her giggle, "I should have known. Always pushing people around and going in fights ever since you were little. I was worried."

Zack looked at Cloud again, never knowing that. He always thought Cloud as a nice guy, but he never knew when he was little, he would go into fights. Just then, Cloud pulled out a bouquet of flowers behind him and said, "I got something Tifa."

"Flowers? How nice," said Tifa as she examined them, "You almost never see them here in the slums. But.."

Just then, Tifa realized what Cloud was doing. She gasped softly and her face slightly turning red. She tried to cover it, but her hands were slowly moving towards the bouquet of flowers and grabbed onto it gently.

"Flowers…for me? Oh Cloud…you shouldn't have," said Tifa, speaking softly and still staring at the flowers, "I'll cover the bar with all these flowers. Thank you."

As Tifa walked away to put the flowers in a vase, Jessie made a small glare towards Tifa while she was eating with Biggs and Wedge in the corner of the bar restaurant, but of course no one noticed this. Zack just slightly elbowed Cloud, grinning softly, and then just remembered about the bouquet of flowers.

"By the way, you never told me where you got those flowers," said Zack as he looked at Cloud.

"I told you, I got them from a –"

Before he could finish his sentence, loud footsteps can be heard running inside the bar. Cloud and Zack moved aside as Barret came in and yelling out, "Where's my little girl?"

Marlene jumped and ran up towards Barret, calling out papa towards him. Barret picked her up and let her sit on his shoulder, holding her as well for support and balance. Zack just stared them in confusion.

'_That's her father? She looks nothing like him,'_ thought Zack.

As Tifa came back, she smiled towards Barret walking up towards him, "Hello Barret. You feeling ok?"

"Great," yelled Barret. As he turned around to look at everyone, he walked towards a pinball machine and yelled out towards his team, "Get in here, fools! We're startin' the meetin'!"

Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie got up from their table and followed Barret, jumping down into a secret room. Zack looked at Cloud knowing it was best to follow their 'leaders' orders or else they might end up getting yelled at again. Just as the two were about to jump down, Tifa walked up towards Cloud.

"Would you like something to eat Cloud," asked Tifa, "I know you must be hungry after that mission.

"I'm not that very hungry," said Cloud softly.

"I'm kind of hungry," smiled Zack.

"That's too bad," said Tifa looking down, ignoring Zack and then smiling back at Cloud, "Well if you get hungry just let me know ok? I'll fix you something real good."

As Tifa walked away, Zack looked at Cloud, making Cloud look back at him, "I think she hates me."

"What makes you say that," asked Cloud.

"Just a feeling," said Zack.

Zack jumped down with Cloud right behind him. They were in a secret room underground below the bar, a huge TV was covering up one section of the room where Wedge and Biggs was watching it, a computer next to the TV where Jessie was working, and Barret was punching a giant punching bag while Marlene was sitting top of a crate watching him. Zack eyed at the TV as they were mentioning about the Mako Reactor 1 explosion.

"Yo, Zack," yelled Barret as he stopped punching his bag, "There's somethin' I wanna ask you."

Zack looked away from the TV and walked up towards Barret, "Shoot."

"Was there anyone from SOLIDER fighting us today," asked Barret.

Zack looked back at Cloud who was still watching the news report and turned back towards Barret, "None. I'm positive."

"You sound pretty sure," said Barret as he punched his bag.

"Haha, if there was anyone from SOLIDER you wouldn't be standing here right now," laughed Cloud as he overheard the conversation between the two.

"Don't go thinkin' you so bad jes cuz you was in SOLIDER," yelled Barret towards Cloud.

Cloud turned away from Barret remained silent. Zack looked at Cloud sadly, knowing Cloud tried so hard to work to become 1st Class, but he failed the test and ended up becoming just a regular infantryman. Barret was trying to pick a fight with Cloud, but Biggs was trying to hold him from getting any more violent. Though it seemed pointless as Barret punched Biggs into a wall and glared at Cloud, then looking towards Zack.

"Yeah, you're strong," said Barret, "Probably all them guys in SOLIDER are."

Then Barret pointed his finger at Cloud and continued, "But don't forget that your skinny ass's workin' for AVALANCHE now! Don't get no ideas 'bout hangin' on to Shinra."

"Stayin' with Shinra," asked Zack as he stepped into the conversation, "You asked ME a question and I answered it…that's all."

Zack walked up towards Barret and tried to tip toe at him, meeting at his height level and eyeing at him, "Cloud and I are going upstairs. We want to talk about our money."

As Cloud and Zack were about to leave, Tifa showed up and blocked their path, telling them to stop.

"Tifa! Let them go," yelled Barret, "Looks like them guys still misses the Shinra!"

Cloud clenched his fist and teeth tightly and turned around towards Barret angrily, "Shut up! I don't care about either Shinra or SOLIDER! But don't get me wrong! I don't care about AVALANCHE or your little crusade on saving the planet for that matter!"

As Cloud left, Zack could only stare. Cloud has changed, he wasn't the same guy he knew back then. He never saw him this angry before, which worried him. Could this..maybe having something to when they were locked in the basement in those tubes? Barret grunted and began punching his bag again furiously and Tifa followed Cloud out of the secret room with Zack behind them.

Once Cloud was back in the bar and was about to leave, Tifa caught up to him, "Listen, Cloud. I'm asking you. Please join us."

Cloud shook his head and took another step heading out the door, "Sorry Tifa…"

Zack had caught up to them and hid from them, listening to their conversation and Tifa continued, "The planet is dying! Slowly but surely its dying. Someone has to do something."

"So let Barret and his buddies do something about it," said Cloud as he turned around facing Tifa, "It's got nothin' to do with me."

As Cloud was about to leave, Tifa stomped her foot and yelled towards Cloud, "So! You're really leaving? You're just going to walk right out ignoring your childhood friend?"

Cloud turned around and eyed at Tifa. He couldn't believe what he was hearing from her, but then again, after the way he has been acting, he deserved it. He looked down and apologized to her, the last person she wants to get mad.

"…You forgot the promise, too," said Tifa softly as she looked down at the ground.

"Promise," asked Cloud.

"So you DID forget," said Tifa, "Remember Cloud? It was seven years ago…"

_x*x*x_

**_'Remember the water tower? Do you remember?'_**

**_'Yeah…back then. I thought you would never come, and I was getting a little cold.'_**

_Thirteen year old Cloud was sitting down at the top of the water tower, waving his legs back and forth. It was a dark and cold night, the stars shining brightly above him. He has been waiting for nearly an hour and Tifa still hasn't shown up. Cloud was about to give up and head home until Tifa showed up right behind him. Cloud looked around excited that she finally came._

_"Sorry I'm late," said Tifa softly. She sat next to Cloud and also started waving her legs back and forth, "You said you wanted to talk to me about something?"_

_"Coming this spring…I'm leaving this town for Midgar," said Cloud._

_"All boys are leaving our town," said Tifa looking down._

_Cloud shook his head and continued, "But I'm different from all of them. I'm not just going to find a job. I'm going to join SOLIDER. I'm going to be the best there is, just like Sephiroth!"_

_"Sephiroth…The Great Sephiroth," asked Tifa as she looked at Cloud._

_Cloud got up on his feet and laid his back against the wall, staring up into the stars and nodded to Tifa. Tifa looked up behind her and asked, "Isn't it hard to join SOLIDER?"_

_"…I probably won't be able to come back to this town for a while," said Cloud softly._

_"Will you be in the newspapers if you do well," asked Tifa smiling._

_"I'll try," smiled Cloud._

_"Hey! Why don't we make a promise," smiled Tifa, "Umm, if you get famous and I'm ever in a bind…you come and save me, all right?"_

_"What," asked Cloud._

_"Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me," said Tifa repeating herself, "I want to at least experience that once."_

_"What," asked Cloud again, pretending he didn't hear Tifa's promise._

_"Come on! Promise me! Please," begged Tifa._

_"All right…I promise," smiled Cloud._

_x*x*x_

"You remember now, don't you? Our promise," asked Tifa.

Cloud shook his head and looked away from Tifa, "I'm no hero and I'm not famous. Look at me. I'm not even 1st Class. I failed the test to become one. I can't keep…that promise. I'm a failure Tifa."

Tifa looked down at the floor, seeing Cloud depressed like this was affecting her and she didn't want him to be pain. While Zack was hiding from them, Barret came up behind him and tapped him in the shoulder. Zack jumped and turned around to see him holding some kind of envelope.

"Yo. You spyin' on them," asked Barret.

"N-No! I don't know what you're talking about," lied Zack sweat-dropping.

"Whatever," grunted Barret.

Soon the two of them appeared and both Cloud and Tifa turned around to see the two men. Zack was rubbing the back of his head smiling while Barret stood there. He threw the huge envelope towards Cloud and Cloud caught it, opening it up to see his and Zack's payment.

"A promise is a promise," grunted Barret.

Cloud made a small chuckle and threw the money envelope towards Zack so he could see the money. Once Zack had caught it, Cloud grinned at Barret, "This is our pay? Don't make me laugh."

"What," yelled Tifa, Zack, and Barret at the same time, looking at Cloud.

"You got the next mission lined up," asked Cloud, "Because if you do, Zack and I will help out for 6000 gil, 3000 for the both of us."

"WHAT," yelled Zack and Barret in shock.

Tifa walked up to Barret and smiled at the huge man, "It's ok, it's ok. Psst, psst…(We're really hurting for help, right?)"

"Uh…ugh…(That money's for Marlene's schoolin'…)," grunted Barret whispering to Tifa. As Barret was about to walk back into the room, he quickly turned to Cloud, "2000 for the both of you!"

Tifa walked up to Cloud and smiled at him, "Thanks, Cloud."

Barret had walked back in the room and Tifa was still talking to Cloud. Zack couldn't believe what he was hearing, but then couldn't help but show a small soft smile on his face. Looks like it was going to be another mission with the AVALANCHE. Still, he couldn't help, but smile also for Tifa and Cloud. They grew up together and were so close with one another. Zack then thought of Aerith, wondering how she was doing and if she was still thinking about him because Zack was doing a lot of thinking about her. He believed he would find her eventually, right now, both he and Cloud had to get ready for the mission.

"Cloud," asked Zack.

Cloud turned around to look at him, which he only saw Zack smiling, "How about we do some training and some squats? Could help you prepare for battle."

"Sure, why not," smiled Cloud.

As the two of them headed upstairs to the roof of the bar, Tifa still couldn't believe Cloud and Zack were good friends. As the two of them left, Tifa still had doubts about Zack. He was the type of SOLIDER that was loyal to Shinra and would do whatever they told him to do, no questions ask. Seeing Cloud and Zack friends together, she didn't know what to think.

'_Might as well trust him if Cloud trust him,'_ thought Tifa.

**END OF: 7****th ****HEAVEN**

* * *

Ok. That's it for now. Poor Zack, Tifa has only been focusing Cloud. And he forgot again about the bouquet of flowers. In the future he'll eventually be reunited with her...not giving out any spoilers. Anyways, hoped you enjoyed it.


	4. BOMBING SECTOR 5 REACTOR

Yay, another chapter. I'm beginning to be more active on updating my stories now. Huh, well, just gotta work hard and fast as much as I can. Right? Right. Ok then, nothing else to say. Oh, the prologue on where the bullets were aiming for Zack? That will be explained in the future. Got to keep on reading to find out. Anyways, hope you will enjoy the chapter.

**CHAPTER 03: BOMBING SECTOR 5 REACTOR**

Cloud had woken up from his sleep inside the secret room under the bar above him. He gave a few stretches and saw the pinball machine elevator was already down for me to use.

'Everybody must be up already,' thought Cloud.

He went up to the pinball machine and pressed a button, sending him up into the bar. As he reached the top, Barret had his arms crossing, tapping his feet, Zack was leading against the wall, and Tifa just stood there next to Barret. Soon all three noticed Cloud walking towards them, but Barret seemed to be the most annoyed among the three, well the only person that seemed annoyed.

"Finally woke up," grunted Barret.

"Did you sleep well Cloud," asked Tifa as she was smiling towards him.

"Next to you? Who wouldn't," chuckled Cloud.

Tifa seemed to be confused about this and tilted her head as she looked at Cloud, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Cloud looked at Zack and Zack moved a step back, waving his hands at him, "Don't look at me! I was nowhere near you!"

"Then who was sleeping on me," asked Cloud as he seemed confused.

* * *

Biggs and Wedge were waiting by the only entrance that led them in and out of the town. Jessie walked towards them and she saw her two teammates yawning and seemed ready to drop down and fall asleep.

"You guys ok," asked Jessie.

"Not really," said Wedge yawning.

"Barret's snoring kept waking us, could barely fall asleep," said Biggs yawning as well, "You seem like you had a good sleep. How were you able to sleep through Barret's snoring?"

"My little secret," smiled Jessie softly, "Come on, we will meet the others at the train station."

* * *

"That's not important right now," said Barret as he walked towards Cloud, "Right now, our target's the Sector 5 Reactor. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie are already at the train station waiting for us. I'll fill you in the train."

As everyone was ready to leave, Cloud had walked up towards Zack. Zack looked at Cloud wondering what was up.

"Zack, I don't know how to use Materia," said Cloud as he scratched his head.

Barret had heard this and turned around, sounding embarrassed, "I, uh…I don't really know how to use Materia as well. You think you can teach the both of us?"

Zack sighed and smiled as well as he looked at the two men, "All right. I'll explain it to the both of you."

As Zack went into detail about Materia, how it is used, the different kinds they were, and how to properly use them to be more effective, the more Barret seemed to be confused. Barret try to process all the different combinations they could be used for and what each Materia could be used as, and he seemed to be having a hard time trying to understand them. Cloud on the other hand seem to have an easy understanding them. No surprise there as Shinra SOLIDERS are able to gather and understand more information than any other person, even though they were not allowed to use Materia; they still understood the foundation of it.

"Shi…! What's this 'It wasn't that tough!' crap! I'm clueless," groaned Barret scratching his head, "Well you handle the Materia then!"

Zack laughed softly and as they were about to leave, Cloud noticed Tifa was following them and then asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm going this time," said Tifa looking at Cloud smiling, "And don't give me that 'It's too dangerous, you're not coming' speech. Zack tried to give me that and I wasn't in the mood for it."

"Its true man," said Zack sighed sadly, "Tifa is one stubborn girl to have an argument with so don't even try it."

"Marlene, you watch the store while we're gone ok," said Tifa as she looked back towards the little girl, "Johnny will take care of you while were away."

"All right! Good luck papa," said Marlene as she waved good-bye to Barret.

"I'll be back soon my baby," said Barret as he walked off out the bar with the others following behind him.

As everyone had reached the train station, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie looked behind them to see Barret and the others following. Everyone nodded and one by one, they all got into the train. As everyone had boarded the train, the door behind them closed. It's been a while since Zack had been on a train, especially the changes they have gone through. Shinra had now installed checkpoints throughout certain areas of the train tracks where one train would go throw and go into a scanning mode. The train would then red inside the cart, scanning ID from the civilians riding it and see if it would match the system. Barret and the others, including themselves, wore fake ID's to pass through security with no problem. As the gang stepped in, Barret noticed there were a few people in the cart so they had no privacy.

"Yo! Looks like this ain't no private cart so split up," ordered Barret.

As Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie nodded, all three had left into the next cart. One man in a red suit rubbed his forehead and sat down by a nearby seat.

"Hoodlums. God, don't I just have all the luck," groaned the man.

Barret walked up to the man in the red suit and looked down at me, glaring at him, "Yo! Look at that! It got empty alluva sudden. What's going on?"

"I-It's empty because of g-guys like you," said the man shaking as he looked up at Barret.

Barret banged his fist at a nearby pole which made the man jumped out of seat, "Y, Y, YIPES! You…you've seen the news, right? AVANLANCHE says there'll be more bombings. Only devoted employees like me would go to Midgar on a day like today."

"You workin' for Shinra," asked Barret as he aimed his gun-arm towards the man.

"I won't give in to violence…and I'm not giving my seat either," said the Shinra manager as he bent his down, covering his face.

Zack was about to stop him, but it seemed Tifa was already ahead of him on that. She placed her hand on his gun-arm to look at him. Barret looked at Tifa and then back towards the cowardly man and grunted to himself.

" &$#%! You lucky ^$#^$.," growled Barret as he lowered his gun-arm.

Tifa apologized towards the Shinra manager and Barret went back towards Zack and Cloud who were still at the back of the cart.

"So, what are we gonna do now," asked Cloud as he looked at Barret.

"Shit! The hell you so calm about? You bustin' up my rhythm," said Barret, surprised by Cloud's reaction.

Just then, the train seemed to shake a bit and made a loud clicking noise outside. The others were scanning the area and it seemed there done on connecting the carts to each other and finally ready to leave.

"So, what's our next target," asked Zack going back into the mission.

"Hah! Listen to Mr. Serious-about-his-work," laughed Barret towards Zack before calming down and continuing, "Awright…I'll tell ya! Jessie probably already told you, but there's a security checkpoint at the top plate. It's an ID scan system checkin' all the trains."

"Which Shinra is very proud of," added Tifa.

"We can't use our fake ID's anymore," Barret said, adding more info.

Just then, they heard the intercom turned on and everyone looked up to listen.

_Good Morning, and welcome to Midgar lines. Arrival time at Sector 4 Station will be 11:45._

The intercom had been turned off and everyone looked at each.

"11:45? That means we've got only three minutes left until we reach the ID checkpoint," said Tifa.

Barret headed towards a nearby seat and sat down on it, relaxing and looking at the others, "Alright, in three minutes, we're jumpin' off this train. Got it?"

"Is he serious," asked Zack not believing what was going on.

Cloud shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Zack. Tifa headed towards the front of the cart towards some kind of computer screen and was calling out towards Cloud. She wanted him look at the Railway Map Monitor with her. Cloud looked back towards Zack and Zack only nodded, smiling to him.

"Go. I'll be fine. I'm just going to relax," said Zack as he headed towards a seat and sat down, taking every moment he can to relax.

As Cloud walked towards Tifa, just then, the train had turn red and started flashing red inside the cart. Cloud and Tifa looked at each and Tifa seemed to be confused, "That's odd. The ID checkpoint was supposed to be further down."

Just then, the alarm had went out and the intercom was turned on.

_Type A Security Alert! Unidentified passengers confirmed! A search of all cars will be conducted! Repeat! Type A Security Alert! Unidentified passengers confirmed! A search of all cars will be conducted!_

The intercom had been turned off and Zack ran down towards Cloud and Tifa, "What's happening?

Barret had came by as well towards his team and was yelling out, "What's going on?"

Jessie had came out of the next cart and went towards Barret, "We're in trouble I'll explain later! Hurry! We need to get on the next cart!"

As Jessie went back into the next cart, Barret grunted and crossed his arms together, "^%#%! Someone blew it..."

The intercom went back on once more and everyone looked up to listen.

_Unidentified passengers located in Car #1! Preparing for Lock Down!_

"Let's go! We got to move now," yelled Zack.

Everyone nodded and jumped in the next cart. As they jumped down, they heard the doors behind them lock and in front of them, they saw Biggs and Wedge calling out towards them to head into the next cart with the intercom turning on again.

_Car #1: Locked Down! Upgrading to Level 2 Warning!_

"Hurry," yelled Biggs at the other side of the cart.

"They're gonna lock the door sir," yelled Wedge towards Barret.

_Unidentified passengers located in Car #2! Preparing for Lock Down!_

"Just run," yelled out Jessie, "We're changing to Plan 2!"

"Don't you mean Plan B," yelled out Zack.

"Does it really make a difference," yelled Jessie back towards Zack.

As the team dashed off into jumped from the second cart and into the third, the door behind them closed and was locked.

_Car #2: Locked Down! Upgrading to Level 3 Warning!_

Just then, the alarm was turned off and the flashing light was turned off. The gang looked at each other wondering what happened.

"We clear," yelled Barret.

"Not yet. They're starting another check," said Jessie, "If we're caught, we're done for! But, don't worry. If we move up the train, car by car, we should get past it!"

"Then let's hurry! We don't have enough room to fight," said Zack.

"Right, so let's head forward," said Tifa.

_Alert! Alert! Unidentified passengers moving to the front of the train! Currently tracking location!_

The team continued running as fast as they could. There were able to jump into the next cart before the door would lock down on them and as each cart they jumped into, the more warning levels they went up to.

_Car #3: Locked Down! Upgrading to Warning Level 4!_

At last, they finally reached the front of the cart. As they reached the front, a large number of SOLIDERS were knocked out on their seat and three figures were up at the front scanning the area. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie were in their disguises and told Barret and the others it was safe to come in.

_Car #4: Locked Down! Upgrading to maximum security alert!_

Barret ran towards the run and turned to face the others, yelling out to them. "All right! We made it! This way! We're preparing to jump! Let's go! We're gonna dive outta here!"

Barret went to the side door and opened it, looking outside. Tifa looked out as well and then back towards Cloud sounding nervous, "Scary…huh?"

"Too late to be saying that now. Why'd you wanna come along anyway," asked Cloud as he looked at Tifa.

"Because –"

"Hey you two! We got no time for this," said Zack as he walked behind them cutting off Tifa's sentence.

The two of them nodded and Tifa sighed, taking a deep breath and walked up towards the door and looked at Cloud, "Yeah! I've made up my mind! I'm gonna jump!"

As Tifa jumped, Cloud followed close behind her. Zack went up towards the door and then back to Barret.

"You don't care if I go first," asked Zack.

"A leader always stays till the end," said Barret softly, "Don't worry 'bout me, just go!"

Zack nodded and as he was about to jump, Barret stopped him quickly and Zack turned around.

"Don't go getting' your spikey-ass hurt! The both of you! It's only the beginnin' of the mission," yelled Barret.

Zack smiled and nodded, turning back around and jumping off. As Barret walked up towards the door, he turned around to look at his team, "Later! You three take care of the rest!"

Barret jumped off and the train quickly dashed off ahead of them. He got up and headed the opposite direction of where their train was heading. He soon caught up with Zack and eventually the two of them caught up with Cloud and Tifa.

"Good, so far everything's going as planned," said Barret. He took a few steps ahead of the gang and pointed forward, "Better not let your guard down till we get to the Sector 5 Reactor. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie got everything ready for us. So MOVE it. The reactor's just down this tunnel!"

As everyone headed towards where Barret was pointing, lights beams were blocking their path. Those beams are the Shinra's security sensors and couldn't proceed any further. Zack scanned the area and spotted a hole by the beams. He kneeled down and looked inside. It seemed to pass through the security sensor beams underneath, but no way of getting back up. The others went up to Zack to see what he was up to and also noticed the hole.

"That's one damn tiny hole," said Barret, "You tellin' me to squeeze into that to get under the Plate? No way!'

"There seems to be nothing that'll get us stuck in this duct," said Zack as he examined the area.

"But we go down this duct, we won't be able to come back up here," said Tifa.

"I don't think we got much of a choice," said Cloud, "I say we go down."

"Same here," said Zack, "You two?"

"Barret," asked Tifa as she looked at him.

"Damn man, that thing gives me the chills, but I guess I gotta," said Barret.

Everyone nodded and Zack was the first to go down through the duct. Second was Cloud, third was Tifa, and Barret was the forth. As the team continued to move forward, they saw Biggs and Jessie together by a ladder. Everyone got together except Barret seemed to notice Wedge wasn't around.

"Where's Wedge," asked Barret.

"He went to scan the area ahead," said Biggs.

"Sorry sir," said Jessie looking down, "The ID scan problem on the train was all my fault."

She looked at Cloud and continued, "I made Cloud's ID card special…and that's why caused the alarm. I put my heart into making it, but I failed."

Zack nudged at Cloud's side to say something to her and Cloud just scratched his head. He walked up towards her and Tifa stood behind him crossing her arms.

"It's ok Jessie," said Cloud still scratching his head, "I'm just glad no one got hurt. Just be careful next time ok?"

Jessie looked up at Cloud and smiled softly towards him and nodded. Biggs walked up towards Barret pointing at the ladder.

"That will lead up directly into the Sector 5 Reactor," explained Biggs, "I'll tell Wedge we met up with you guys. Will meet back at the hideout. We already set everything up for you guys."

"Thanks and good work for once," said Barret impressed, "You three have done enough. Take care of Marlene till I get back."

"Sir," said Biggs and Jessie together, standing tall for Barret. They ran off to get Wedge and head back to 7th Heaven.

The four nodded to each other and proceeded on. As they climbed up the ladder, one by one, the team slid down a slide and jumped off as they got close to the ground. They went through a few numbers of doors and climbed a few ladders until they reached their destination, the main reactor for Sector 5.

"There it is," said Barret pointing forward, "We plant the bomb and we get the hell outta here!"

"I got it," said Zack as he moved forward.

Just then, Cloud felt a huge pain in his head. Everyone turned to face Cloud to see him kneeling down into the ground. Tifa caught Cloud and Zack ran up towards him while Barret looked down at him. Cloud shook his head and quickly got up.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," said Cloud rubbing his head, "Just a small headache."

"You sure," asked Tifa sounding worried.

"Yeah. Go ahead Zack, plant the bomb before we get caught," said Cloud.

Zack nodded and walked back towards the reactor. He pressed a few buttons and went through certain wiring to rig the place to blow. As soon as he was done, he turned to face the others and nodded towards them, telling them it was done. As the four-man squad headed back towards the top and reached the main entrance of the reactor, a large number of SOLIDERS were blocking their path and everyone took their battle stance. Zack took out his Buster Sword, Barret aimed his gun-arm, Tifa raised her fists, and Cloud raised his rifle towards them.

"Shinra SOLIDERS," yelled Barret, "What the hell's goin' on?"

"A trap," mumbled Cloud.

Just then, they could hear footsteps echoing from the reactor they came out of and saw a fat man wearing a red suit. He took out a small gold case from his pocket and a cigar from it. He placed the gold case back in his pocket, lit the cigar and placed it in his mouth. Zack and Barret had their eyes wide as they realized who this man was.

"President Shinra," grunted Barret, "Wasn't expectin' this!"

"Why is the President here," asked Tifa.

"Hmm…So you all must be the AVALANCHE, correct," asked President Shinra as he took out his cigar and blew the smoke out of him.

Zack placed his sword back on him and slowly took a step toward President Shinra and spoke in a calm voice, "Long time no see, President."

"Long time no see," asked President Shinra. He then noticed Zack's eyes glowing with a certain color and realized what he meant, "Oh. You. You're the one who quit SOLIDER and joined AVALANCHE. I knew you'd been exposed to Mako, from the look in your eyes…tell me, traitor, what was your name?"

"Zack Fair, 1st Class SOLIDER, and I am no traitor," glared Zack, "It was you that betrayed me."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," grinned President Shinra, "But the name sounds familiar. You were that loyal one, the one that did everything and anything that Shinra told you to do, no questions asked, correct?"

"Yes, that _WAS_ me," said Zack clenching his fists, "And that was a long time ago."

"And was he in SOLIDER too? I see he has the same eyes as you," said Shinra as he looked towards Cloud.

Cloud was about to say something until Zack raised his hand at him from speaking any further and looked back at Shinra, "That doesn't matter. We are both ex-SOLIDERS and no longer have ties with you."

"Is that so," grinned Shinra and placing his cigar back in his mouth, "Well, I can't be expected to remember each person's name, especially those in 1st Class. Unless you become another Sephiroth."

"Sephiroth," asked Cloud softly.

"Yes, Sephiroth. He was brilliant, perhaps too brilliant," sighed Shinra.

Barret ran up and took a few steps ahead of Zack and aimed his gun-arm towards Shinra, "I don't give a damn 'bout none of that! This place's goin' up with a big BANG soon! Serves y'all right!"

"And such a waste of good fireworks, just to get rid of vermin like you," sighed Shinra as he took out his cigar and flicked it off the bridge they were on.

"VERMIN? That's all you can say…VERMIN," yelled Barret, "Y'all Shinra're the VERMIN, killing the planet! And that makes you King VERMIN! So shu'up jackass!"

"You are beginning to bore me," sighed Shinra, "I'm a very busy man, so if you'll excuse me…I have a dinner I must attend."

Barret took another step clenching his fist and glaring at Shinra, shaking and yelling towards him, "DINNER? Don't gimme that! I ain't even started wit' you yet!"

President Shinra snapped his fingers and the gang started to hear something buzzing and it grew louder as it got closer to them. Tifa turned to her side as the noise was coming from the tunnel.

"What's that noise," asked Tifa.

"The hell is this," yelled Barret as he looked at the direction where Tifa was looking at.

Zack walked up from front and soon a tall machine was dashing towards them. The three of them were able to dodge it by leading against the rail on the bridge and then saw it spin around facing them. Cloud was separated from them by the huge machine in front of him.

"Meet 'Airbuster,' a techno-solider," grinned Shinra, "Our Weapon Development created him. I'm sure the data he'll extract from your dead bodies will be of great use to use in future experiments."

"Techno-solider," asked Zack as he eyed at the huge machine in front of them.

Soon a helicopter appeared coming up underneath them and heading towards President Shinra, "Now then, if you'll excuse me."

"Wait, President," yelled Cloud was he ran up to him.

It was too late, President Shinra stepped onto his helicopter and the helicopter quickly flew away. Zack eyed at the helicopter and then back towards Airbuster that stood in their way.

"Cloud! We got to do something about him," yelled Zack.

Airbuster was trying to push them back and Barret, Tifa, and Zack took their steps away from it. Cloud ran up behind it and eyed at the machine.

"Help Cloud," cried Tifa.

"THIS is from SOLIDER," asked Barret aiming his gun-arm at it.

"No way! It's just a machine," yelled Cloud at it.

"Let's just get rid of it before IT gets rid of us," yelled Zack.

Zack took out his sword and Cloud aimed his rifle at it. Airbuster was cornered by them, three on one side and one on the other. Barret shot a few bullets at it at the front while Cloud shot a few bullets at the back. Their bullets were deflecting off the machine and Airbuster counter-attacked by extending both of his hands at the three-man team and Cloud at the other and fired bullets. Zack moved up and spun his sword around deflecting the bullets from hitting them while Cloud took out his small sword behind him and did the same thing. Tifa ran up ahead and punched the machine in the chest, but it seemed it didn't do anything and she backed off.

"Bullets are bouncing off that thing," yelled Barret.

"And it seems my punches can't get through the armor," added Tifa.

"Then let me give it try," yelled Zack.

Zack dashed off and pointed the tip of the sword at Airbuster's chest. The sword was able to break through its armor, but Zack backed off as it was trying to grab him and couldn't finish his attack. Just then, Cloud noticed a small closed vent at the back of the machine and ran up to it. He jumped up and dived down, using his sword to pierce through it. The machine started acting wildly and was trying to make Cloud get off of it. Cloud jumped down and took a few steps away from.

"The back! There is a small vent in the back that I pierced," yelled Cloud, "I think that's its weak spot!"

"It's always the back," laughed Zack, "Tifa, think you break through it?"

"Give me a opening and I'll do it," grinned Tifa.

"Cloud! Remember about using Materia," asked Zack as he yelled towards Cloud over the machine.

Cloud nodded and extended his hands towards Airbuster. His hands began to glow a light green color and lighting started to appear from his hands.

"Bolt 1! Thunder," yelled Cloud.

Cloud shot lighting out of his hands and it greatly affected the machine as it turned around to face Cloud. Tifa noticed a cut at the back of the machine and ran towards it. She jumped it and punched through the vent, grabbing a few wires inside and pulling them out. The machine began to act wild again and Tifa jumped off and backed away. Zack placed his sword away and extended his hands towards the machine, shooting lighting at it as well. The machine was then stunned and tried to break free from the lighting cage it was in. Zack yelled towards Barret and Barret nodded. He moved up and aimed his gun-arm at it charging it.

"Big Shot," Barret yelled and fired a gigantic fire ball look alike towards Airbuster.

There was a huge explosion and everyone backed off, however Cloud seemed to be caught in the explosion. There was a huge smoke and as it cleared, the bridge was broken off were Airbuster stood that connected to the bridge in front of them.

"Where's Cloud," asked Tifa looking around for him.

"There," yelled Barret pointed down.

Everyone looked down and saw Cloud hanging on a broken pipe, trying to hold on as long as he could. Zack scanned the area as he quickly could, but found no way to reach him.

"Damn! The other side is too far for me to jump! I can't reach him," yelled Zack.

Barret then felt a certain shake and looked towards the reactor. He knew it was going to blow, it was only a matter of time.

"It's going to blow, we gotta go now," yelled Barret as he kept a close eye at the reactor.

"Can't we do something," cried Tifa as she looked towards Cloud still hanging.

"Not a damn thing," sighed Barret softly.

"I'm not going to leave him," yelled Zack, "Cloud just hang on!"

"Planning on it," yelled Cloud, "Don't like the idea of falling to my death!"

"Cloud! Please don't die! You can't die! There's still so much I want to tell you," cried Tifa.

Cloud looked at Tifa and saw tears falling from her face. Cloud looked sadly at her and nodded weakly towards her, "I know Tifa…"

"Hey…you gonna be awright," asked Barret as he looked at Cloud.

"I don't know if I can hold on any longer," groaned Cloud, "Zack! Barret! You worry about yourselves! I'll be alright, just take care of Tifa!"

"…Alright. Sorry 'bout all this," said Barret softly as he looked up into the sky.

"Stop talkin' like this is the end," snapped Cloud.

"All right then, I'll see you later," sighed Barret.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean," yelled Cloud.

"What do you want me to say," yelled Barret.

Just then, there was a huge explosion coming from the reactor and shockwave of the explosion broke Cloud's grip from the rail. Tifa extended her hand towards Cloud, crying out towards him, Zack clenched his teeth tightly against one another, and Barret held Tifa tightly from falling off. Cloud continued falling down, disappearing into the fogs below him. Zack kneeled down and banged his fist hard onto the ground knowing he lost his friend.

"No," yelled Zack as he cried for Cloud, "NO!"

**END OF: BOMBING SECTOR 5 REACTOR**

Oh no! Cloud fell down! Will he survive? No, sadly that's the end. Of course he will survive! It was part of the game and there would be no reason why it would end like that! Anyways, this seemed to be my longest chapter and also I guess I had no choice but to add the Airbuster fight scene. Wasn't too good at it and I know Airbuster doesn't shoot machine gun bullets out of his hands, just thought it would be cool to add…shooting bullets out of fingers. Sweet. Anyways, hoped you like it and will leave a review. Arigato!


	5. A FLOWER BLOOMING IN THE SLUMS

Hello! Sorry for not updating for a while, working on another story as well. Took this down and made it longer so it wouldn't be separated into two parts. Nothing else to say, so, here is the next chapter! Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

**CHAPTER 04: A FLOWER BLOOMING IN THE SLUMS**

_*Poke Poke Poke*_

…

_*Poke Poke Poke*_

…

"Oh! He moved! Hello, hello? Hello, hello!"

Cloud groaned in pain and slowly opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, but it was slowly restoring as he began to wake up. Questions were racing through his mind, he was wondering where he was and how long he has been out. He slowly pulled himself up from the ground and realized he was laying on something soft.

"You okay," asked the person behind Cloud.

Cloud looked up behind him and saw a tall woman standing above him, tilting herself towards him. She looked familiar, but Cloud was still trying to recover. He looked around the area he was in and realized he was no longer on the bridge that led to the Sector 5 Reactor.

"This is a church in the Sector 5 slums," said the woman, as she saw Cloud scanning his surroundings. "You suddenly fell on top of me and really gave me a scare."

"…I came crashing down," asked Cloud as he looked up to the woman.

"Mhm," said the woman nodding her head, "The roof and the flower bed must have broken your fall. You're lucky you know."

"Flower bed…is this yours," asked Cloud as he looked down underneath him, wondering why it was soft earlier. He slowly got back up and got off the flower bed, scratching his head to the woman, "Sorry about that."

"That's all right," smiled the woman towards Cloud and walked around her small flower garden, "The flowers here are quite resilient because this is a sacred place. They say you can't grow grass and flowers in Midgar you know, but for some reason, the flowers have no trouble blooming here…I love it here."

Cloud kept scanning the area and looked above him, seeing the huge hole he had caused on the church's roof. The woman examined Cloud and couldn't help but give out a small giggle as she knew she had seen him before.

"…So, we meet again," smiled the woman. Cloud gave out a confused look and the woman sighed disappointed, "You don't remember me?"

"Actually, I do. You were the flower girl I had met earlier and I bought flowers from," said Cloud as he finally remembered.

"Yay! You do remember me! I'm so happy," smiled the woman and giving out another small giggle, "Thank you so much for buying my flowers."

"I still felt bad you gave me a bouquet when I only paid a gil," said Cloud scratching his head.

"Don't worry. You were my first customer above the plate and nobody else was buying it," smiled the woman. The woman that reached behind her head where her ribbon was and looked up back towards Cloud, "Say, do you have any Materia?"

"Yes, some…well a friend lend me a few," said Cloud, "But nowdays you can find Materia anywhere."

"But mine is special. It's good for absolutely nothing," giggled the woman.

"…Good for nothing," asked Cloud as he tilted his head towards the flower girl, "You probably just don't know how to use it."

"No, I do. It just doesn't do anything," laughed the woman and looking up towards the hole Cloud fell down through, "I feel safe just having it. It was my mother's…Say! I feel like talking. Do you feel up to it? After all, here we are…meeting again, right?"

"I don't mind," smiled Cloud softly.

The woman smiled back towards Cloud and winked towards him, "Just wait okay? I need to check on my flowers. It'll only be a minute."

As the woman went back towards her flowers, she quickly turned to Cloud and tilted her head towards him, "I just remembered something. We don't know each other's names, do we? I'm Aeris, the flower girl, but usually everyone calls me Aerith so I don't mind which one you use."

"The name's Cloud, the guy that does a little bit of everything," smiled Cloud as he introduced himself.

"Oh…a jack of all trades," asked Aerith.

"Yeah, I do whatever's needed," said Cloud, then he noticed Aerith giggling to him and crossed him arms at her, "What's so funny? What are you laughing at?"

"Sorry," smiled Aerith.

As the two were busy smiling and laughing to one another, Cloud quickly turned his gaze to the side of him as he saw three Shinra infantry men standing in the doorway with a man wearing some kind of suit in front of them with spiky red hair and a ponytail behind his head staring at the two.

Aerith quickly moved up behind Cloud and whispered into him so the man in the suit wouldn't hear her, "Say, Cloud. Have you ever been a bodyguard? You DO do everything, right?"

Cloud moved his head back towards Aerith and gave a small weak nod towards her, "Yeah…that's right."

"Then get me out of here," said Aerith being frighten by the man that stood in front of them, "Take me home, please?"

Cloud smiled softly towards Aerith, "Okay. I'll do it…but I'm not cheap you know. It'll cost you."

"Hm," said Aerith as she placed her right hand under your chin trying to think of something to pay Cloud, "Well I don't have any money…how about I'll let you ask me out on a date once?"

Cloud gave out a small chuckle and nodded towards Aerith, slightly grinning, "Haha. It's a deal."

Cloud went back towards the four that stood in the entrance of the church, glaring at them. Cloud slowly took a few steps and the man with the red hair walked up to him taking a few steps as well towards him. The two men stopped, only a few feet away from each, staring at each other as if it was some kind of showdown.

"That uniform," said Cloud as he inspected the man's suit, "It's a Turk uniform…"

"Hey sis! This one's a little weird," said one Shinra SOLIDER as he walked up next to the red hair man pointing his finger towards Cloud.

"Shut up you Shinra spy," yelled Cloud as he reached up behind his back, grabbing hold of his sword's hilt.

"Reno! Want us to take him down," asked the second Shinra SOLIDER.

"I haven't decided yet," mumbled Reno as he kept his gaze on Cloud.

"Don't fight here Cloud," said Aerith, "You'll ruin the flowers! We can leave through the hole you made on the ceiling. I know a way to get up there!"

Aerith began running off to the back of the church and Cloud gave a grunted noise towards Reno and the three Shinra SOLIDERS as he went to follow Aerith. Reno slowly began to walk forward, stepping on the flowers, and was lost in his thoughts.

'_He had…Mako eyes,'_ thought Reno. He looked back towards his men and pointed his finger where Cloud and Aerith ran off, "All right. Back to work, back to work!"

As he began walking off, Reno quickly came back, stepping on the flowers and gave out another order to his men, "Make sure you don't step on the flowers!"

"Hey Reno! You just stepped on them!"

"They're all ruined now!"

"You're going to catch holy hell!"

* * *

Cloud and Aerith were running up the stairs as they were heading up to the attic where the hole was. Cloud took a huge jump over a gap on the floor and called Aerith to jump, but she shook her head. Cloud knew she wouldn't be able jump over the gap that was between them so he had to jump back to get her. But before he could go back, Reno and his men had caught up and were right underneath them.

"There they are, over there," yelled Reno as he pointed up above him, "Shoot! But do not hit the girl! She must be unharmed!"

The three Shinra SOLIDERS were aiming their rifles up and were shooting the floor they were standing on. Bullets were coming up from the floor Aerith stood on and fell down from the floor, sliding down to the lower floor just below where Reno and his men were.

"Aerith," yelled Cloud.

"I said leave the girl unharmed," yelled Reno as he faced his men, "Go and get her!"

"Sir," said one SOLIDER as he jumped down to see where Aerith fell down.

Aerith slowly got up, a little bruised, but for the most part she is okay. She noticed one of the men slowly walking up to her, trying to make sure she doesn't escape. Aerith backed into the wall and looked up towards Cloud, calling for help.

"Damn," yelled Cloud to himself. He looked up above him and saw barrels right above him and knew what he could use them for. He quickly looked back towards Aerith, "Hold on! I think I got something!"

Cloud quickly ran up towards the attic and went to a nearby barrel. He pushed it off and saw it falling down and crashing into the SOLIDER, instantly putting him down. Aerith waved towards Cloud to show thanks and started running back to the top. Another SOLIDER was blocking Aerith's path and before he knew it, another barrel fell from the sky, crushing him. As Aerith had reached the top of the stairs, one more SOLIDER was chasing after below her and then one more barrel fell from the attic, rolling down the stairs, chasing the SOLIDER away. Cloud quickly ran back down towards Aerith and jumped the huge gap he got over, picked her up with his arms holding tightly to Aerith's upper back and holding both of her legs, along with her arms wrapping around Cloud's neck. As Cloud had jumped over the gap, Reno was right behind them, catching his breath and was aiming some kind of silver rod at them.

"You won't get away," yelled Reno. As Reno was about to jump over the gap as well, the floor that the Shinra SOLIDERS were shooting at earlier collapsed and Reno quickly came crashing down to the floor below them.

Cloud quickly ran off while he had the chance, still carrying Aerith back towards the attic. As he reached the top of the church, he saw a broken supporter that could help him jump through the hole in the ceiling. Once he did, he turned back behind him to make sure they weren't being followed and continued off, trying to get away as fast as they can.

* * *

As Cloud continued to jump off and onto every pile of trash while still holding tightly onto Aerith, he heard a small tired laugh coming from her and looked down.

"Ha, ha…They're looking for me again," smiled Aerith taking a few breaths, "You can put me down now."

"Heh, sure," said Cloud as he gently laid Aerith down. She removed her arms around his neck and smiled towards him, which made Cloud smile back to her. But then he couldn't help but ask Aerith something, "You mean it's not the first time they've been after you?"

"Sadly…no," sighed Aerith.

"They're the Turks you know," said Cloud.

"Hmmm…"

"The Turks are an organization in Shinra. They scout for possible candidates for SOLIDER."

"This violently," asked Aerith as she looked up to Cloud, "I thought they do kidnapping and other stuff."

"True, they are involved into that…actually they are involved in a lot of dirty stuff. Spying, murder…you know," explained Cloud.

"They sure do look like it," sighed Aerith.

"But what I don't get is why are they after you," asked Cloud, "There must be a reason, right?"

"No, not really. I think they believe I have it takes to be in SOLIDER," laughed Aerith.

"Maybe you do. You want to join," asked Cloud as he smiled at Aerith.

"I don't know…but right now I don't want to get caught by THOSE people," said Aerith as she mentioned the Turks.

"Then let's go," smiled Cloud as he nodded towards Aerith.

* * *

As Cloud continued to jump over the trash, he was scanning the area and saw a huge circular pillar in what appeared to be the middle of Midgar and where the train tracks were. It was hard to believe he fell from that kind of height and survived as he noticed how high the plate was above them. Just then, he could hear Aerith chasing after him and looked behind him, watching her have a hard time jumping down. As she managed to make it, she took a few deep breaths as she finally caught up with Cloud.

"Puff…wheeze…Slow…down…Don't leave me," said Aerith as she was having a hard time gasping for air.

"Funny…I thought you were cut out to be in SOLIDER," said Cloud as he gave out a chuckle to Aerith.

"Oh! You're terrible! I should have let you continue to carry me if you were going to act like this," glared Aerith.

The two began to laugh and it seemed the two were having a fun time together. Cloud had never felt this kind of happiness before. It was strange, yet, fun to have and Aerith seemed to be enjoying Cloud's company as well. Aerith stopped giggling and noticed something in Cloud's eyes.

"Hey…Cloud? Were you…ever in SOLIDER," asked Aerith as she gazed in his eyes.

"Why," asked Cloud.

"…Your eyes…they have a strange glow…like the sky, but not scary at all," said Aerith as she continued to look into Cloud's eyes.

"That's the sign of those who have been infused with Mako. A mark of SOLIDER," explained Cloud, "But, how did you know about that?"

"…It's nothing," smiled Aerith weakly as she looked down away from Cloud's gaze.

"Nothing," asked Cloud in confusion.

Aerith looked back towards Cloud, showing him her bright warm smile, "Right, nothing!"

Aerith quickly walked up to Cloud and took his hand, taking the lead from now on and still smiling to him, "Come on! Let's go bodyguard! We can talk more when we get to my house!"

* * *

Aerith and Cloud had finally reached their destination and Cloud couldn't help himself but give out a huge surprised expression on his face. Aerith's house was somewhat big, considering that in the slums, people are usually living in wreckages or small broken homes, but for Aerith, her home looked beautiful, like it was some kind of brand new building, with a waterfall behind it, and next to the house was a huge garden of flowers, the same kinds he saw back in the church. Aerith had let go of Cloud's hand and smiled softly to him.

"You're about to meet my mom," smiled Aerith.

Aerith opened the door and walked inside of her home with Cloud following behind her.

"Mom! I'm home," yelled Aerith.

"Hello dear," smiled an older woman as she came from the kitchen. Aerith and the woman hugged and the woman noticed Cloud standing behind her daughter. She looked at Aerith and Aerith gave out a small giggle.

"Mom, meet Cloud. He is my bodyguard and Cloud, this is my mother Elmyra," smiled Aerith as she introduced the two to each other.

"Bodyguard," asked Elmyra and then she realized what her daughter had truly meant, "Don't tell me you were being followed again! Are you all right? You're not hurt are you?"

"I'm fine mom, relax," laughed Aerith and went up to Cloud tilting her head next to him, "I had Cloud with me."

"Thank you Cloud for taking care of my daughter," smiled Elmyra as she bowed her head to him and then turned around as she headed towards the kitchen, "I'm just going to make some tea."

"Okay mom," replied Aerith and then as she saw her mother walk into the kitchen, she turned to face Cloud, "So, what are you going to do now?"

"Is Sector 7 far from here," asked Cloud, "I need to head to Tifa's bar."

"Is Tifa…a girl," asked Aerith as she inched closer to Cloud.

"Yeah," said Cloud.

"A girl…friend," asked Aerith sounding a little nervous.

"Girlfriend," asked Cloud in surprised. His face turned a bright red and scratched his head, shaking it, "No. We are just good childhood friends."

"Hee hee hee," giggled Aerith, "You don't have to get THAT upset, but that's nice to have a childhood friend. But let's see…I can show you where Sector 7 is."

"You got to be kidding me," said Cloud as he crossed his arms at Aerith, "Why do you want to put yourself in danger again?"

"I'm used to it," said Aerith.

"What do you mean used to it," asked Cloud, not believing Aerith, "Well…I don't know on getting help from a girl…"

"A girl," yelled Aerith in frustration as she stomped her foot on the ground which made Cloud take a step back, "Now what do YOU mean by that? You expect me to just sit by and listen, after hearing you say something like that? I don't think so!"

Before Cloud could respond, Aerith was yelling towards the kitchen to get her mother's attention, "Mom! I'm taking Cloud to Sector 7! I'll be back in a while."

"But dear," said Elmyra but then realized it would be pointless to talk any sense to her daughter knowing how stubborn she is, "Never mind. You never listen once you've made up your mind. But if you are going, can't you just go tomorrow? It's getting late now."

"I guess your right mom," said Aerith knowing that it was late and it was best to leave early in the morning.

"Aerith, please go upstairs and make the bed for Cloud," said Elmyra.

Aerith nodded and headed upstairs into the bedroom floor. Once Elmyra saw her daughter was out of sight, she quickly walked up to Cloud and inspected him. Cloud was a little hesitated by her approach, but realized she is a mother and mothers are usually protective towards their kids. Just then, she noticed Cloud's eyes.

"Those eyes…are you from SOLIDER," asked Elmyra.

'_How do these two know about SOLIDER,'_ thought Cloud.

"Um...," said Cloud sounding nervous. He didn't really want to lie to them that he wasn't, but he wasn't sure on how to explain that because he doesn't even know why he has these eyes in the first place.

"…I don't know how to say this," mumbled Elmyra before Cloud could respond properly, "I'm grateful that you protected my daughter, I really am. But I don't want to sound rude or anything…can you leave tonight? Without telling Aerith?"

"Understood. I pretty much want to leave your daughter out of this because of the dangers," said Cloud.

"It's not just that…I just don't want to see her get hurt again," said Elmyra.

"Hurt," asked Cloud in confusion.

"Yes, but can you please leave tonight," asked Elmyra

Cloud nodded and slowly headed upstairs, getting 'ready' for bed. Elmyra saw Cloud disappear out of sight and gave a small sad sigh. She turned around and went back to the kitchen to finish her cleaning on the dishes. Cloud reached upstairs and saw Aerith come out of the extra bedroom. She spotted him as well and walked up to him.

"You need to get through Sector 6 to Sector 7. Sector 6 is a little dangerous so you'd better get some rest tonight," said Aerith.

Cloud nodded towards her and walked towards his room.

"Cloud," called Aerith softly, making him turn back facing her. Cloud wondered what was up and saw Aerith give out a small weak innocent smile towards him, "…good night."

Aerith headed towards downstairs, leaving Cloud alone. Cloud took a soft deep breath and scratched his head. He felt bad he had to leave Aerith like this, but it was for the best. He didn't want Aerith to put herself into more danger and of course he didn't want her mother to be chasing after him with a frying pan if something did happen to her. Cloud nodded to himself knowing it was the best and went into his room, getting ready to leave tonight once Aerith had went into her room.

* * *

Cloud woke up from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes and realized he must have dozed off while waiting for Aerith to head into her room. He shook his head to wake himself up and gently opened the door. Aerith had said Sector 7 is past Sector 6 so he should have no trouble at all. He tiptoed out of the room, making sure not to alert Aerith and headed downstairs. He didn't want to take any chances so he kept on tiptoeing until he had reached the door. He opened it and locked it from the inside and closed it behind him gently. He took a deep breath and continued off, leaving Aerith's home. He soon reached the crack hole that led towards Sector 6, but before he could even take another step, Aerith was blocking his path at the passageway.

"You're up bright and early," said Aerith.

"How could I ask you to go along when I knew it would be dangerous," said Cloud as he shook his head.

"Are you done," asked Aerith, seeming to be not in the mood. Cloud turned his head away from Aerith and she continued, "You have to go through the slum in Sector 6 to get to Tifa's bar in Sector 7. I'm going to go on ahead, and I think you have no choice but to follow me and make sure I'm safe from any danger…bodyguard."

Aerith turned away and went through the hole. Cloud gave a small sighed knowing she was right as he had no choice at all and followed after Aerith. The two had continued on, going through holes and climbing up small stairs and ladders over the wreckage that was around them. Soon they had reached an entrance leading to a small playground and Aerith stopped, facing Cloud.

"The gate to Sector 7's is here," said Aerith.

"Thanks," said Cloud, "I guess this is goodbye. Will you be all right going home?"

"Oh no," said Aerith covering her mouth with her hand, pretending she was in distress, "'What will I ever do?' …Is that what you were expecting from me to say?"

"I guess I don't have a choice do I," asked Cloud, "I'm going to have to take you to Sector 7?"

"You could, but then I guess I would be in your way," said Aerith as she turned around, her back facing Cloud. Cloud remained silent and Aerith spotted a slide and turned back to Cloud, "Can we take a break?"

Cloud nodded and saw Aerith walk towards a some kind of monster playground, its tongue sticking out mimicking a slide. Aerith took the stairs that lead up and got on top of the monster's head. Cloud followed Aerith and sat down next to her.

"What rank were you," asked Aerith.

"Rank," asked Cloud in confusion.

"You know, in SOLIDER," said Aerith.

Cloud remained silent and looked away from Aerith, gazing at nothing in front of him, "An infantryman…"

"Really," asked Aerith, shocked by Cloud's answer, "But you have those eyes..."

"I never had what it took to make 1st Class SOLIDER," said Cloud, sounding disappointed to himself and also having a small angry tone in his voice, "To be honest...I can't remember how I got these eyes..."

"Are there a lot of people who make it to 1st Class," asked Aerith.

"Not really. They are a small elite group, the best of the best," said Cloud, "I failed the test a couple of times…"

"I'm sorry," said Aerith feeling embarrassed on the question she asked.

"Don't be," said Cloud, "It doesn't matter. All what matters is that I'm an ex-SOLIDER...even though I'm not really SOLIDER, but I want to know, how do you know so much about SOLIDER?"

"My first boyfriend," sighed Aerith softly.

"You're…serious," asked Cloud in disbelief.

"It was a short while…so it doesn't matter," said Aerith.

"Maybe I knew him. What was his name," asked Cloud.

"Like I said…it doesn't really matter," said Aerith feeling sad, she looked up to Cloud and smiled softly at him, "Can I just…stare at your eyes? For a little while?"

Cloud didn't know what to say and just gave a small nod. Aerith inched a little closer, her face coming close to his, examining his eyes. Though, it seemed something else was moving closer to Cloud's face, was it…her lips? They seemed to be inching closer to his and he didn't know how to respond. He tried to pull away, but it seemed his mind wanted him to stay where he was. As they lips were only a few inches away, there was a huge noise behind them. Aerith finally came into her senses as she realized what she was doing and quickly turned her head away, her face burning red. Cloud however was now focused on the huge door that was behind them, slowly opening. A chocobo was coming out, pulling a huge carriage behind it. As it was making a turn, he noticed a woman in a blue dress at the back of the carriage. He then instantly recognized the face and Aerith turned her attention towards where Cloud was focusing on, seeing the girl as well.

"Tifa," yelled Cloud in surprised, "TIFA!"

Though it seemed the woman didn't hear him, the carriage continued on and disappeared fast, turning away from the playground. Aerith got up and gave a small pouting expression on her face.

"That's Tifa," said Aerith sounding not impressed, "She looked kind of odd."

Aerith jumped down and was chasing after the carriage and Cloud noticed her running off.

"Wait," yelled Cloud trying to stop Aerith, "I'll go alone! You just head back home!"

Aerith continued running off, either that she didn't hear Cloud or pretended she didn't hear him. Cloud groaned in annoyance and jumped off the monster's head and chased after Aerith. What he did know was that he DID saw Tifa and right now, he had to find her.

**END OF: A FLOWER BLOOMING IN THE SLUMS**

I smell a love triangle! Cloud and Aerith meet, but how Zack will take it? I wonder how Zack, Barret, and Tifa are doing? Oh well, won't find out until the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and will leave a review! Thanks!


	6. OPPRESSED PEOPLE

_**Irish-Brigid: There's going to be some confusion when Aerith finds out Zack's still alive. This could get interesting.  
Oh! And thanks for the shout out to my fic. Though I feel like I should make one little correction. I'm a girl. ^^;**_

Haha, yeah. I didn't know what I should do with the two, but after reading your fanfic and seeing the two meet up instantly, I decided to take a different approach since I didn't want my story to be exactly as yours. And also, I AM SO SORRY! For some odd reason I just assumed you were a guy, I don't know why. My bad! ^^;

* * *

**CHAPTER 05: OPPRESSED PEOPLE**

Aerith was spinning around, trying to get every view she can possibly get as she had stepped into Wall Market, a huge shopping center. Cloud had just arrived and saw Aerith still spinning, as if she was having a good time. Cloud knew however this was no ordinary shopping center. Wall Market actually famous for its dangerous "red light district" atmosphere. Aerith spotted Cloud and stopped sightseeing, quickly going up to him, and seeming to know what was on Cloud's mind.

"This place is scary in a lot of ways, especially for a girl," said Aerith as she knew how dangerous this place really was, "So we've got find Tifa fast."

"I wish you didn't run off by yourself," said Cloud, "I don't want anything bad happening to you."

"It's ok. I'll be fine," smiled Aerith as she playfully punched Cloud's chest, "As long as I have my strong bodyguard with me at all times hee hee."

Cloud smiled back at Aerith softly and then put on his serious face as it was time to look for Tifa. However, they had no idea where to start. Wall Market was huge and Tifa could be anywhere in the area. But he couldn't just give up, he had to find her and know what happened to the others. He then saw a flyer on the ground and picked it up. Aerith looked over his shoulder to see what he was looking at and saw in the picture of a girl dressed up as bumblebee, winking to a customer whoever was reading it, and had colorful words all over it, saying:

**The Honeybee Inn**

**Filled with unlimited entertainment!**

**It's where your destiny will begin!**

"Uh…Cloud," asked Aerith as she looked at Cloud, her cheeks blushing a bit.

"I need to start somewhere," said Cloud as he knew what the Honeybee Inn was.

Filled with unlimited entertainment? More like filled with unlimited disgust, but knowing this kind place, it was also the best place to get information. As they headed towards the place, a group of people, all of them men, were waiting in line trying to gain access to Honeybee Inn. Aerith decided she would stay away from the place and wait for Cloud as he moved on ahead, which Cloud agreed to since he didn't want anyone to notice her and get any weird ideas. Two people were standing guard as they checked the men's I.D. and membership card before proceeding inside, but Cloud decided to cut the line as he headed towards the entrance, ignoring all the threats and yelling he was getting from the men. As he reached the entrance, a fat man saw him and blocked him from going any further.

"Haha! Welcome," said the man laughing as he stood in front of Cloud, "Excited are we? Haha! This is The Honeybee Inn where even unpopular dweebs like you may meet their destiny here!"

"Are you looking for a girlfriend too," asked the skinny man as he stood guard with his fat friend and grinning towards Cloud.

"Do you know a girl named Tifa," asked Cloud as he got straight into the point, giving a glare towards the second man.

"Haha! Hey, you catch on pretty fast," laughed the fat man, "Tifa's our newest girl!"

"Unfortunately, she's having an interview right now," said the skinny man.

"Interview," asked Cloud as he raised an eyebrow.

"Here at the Honeybee Inn, it's customary for all the new girls to be taken to Don Corneo's mansion," said the skinny man.

"Haha! Don Corneo's a famous dilettante. Now he wants to settle down and is in the market for a bride," laughed the fat man.

Cloud gave a small grunt and left the area to meet up with Aerith. As the two were reunited, Cloud told Aerith everything what the two men had told him. The two walked through Wall Market, checking every area for anything they could find. They asked few of the civilians in the area and said Don Corneo's mansion was just up north of Wall Market and wasn't that far. As they continued, they finally reached to his mansion and saw a huge golden door that would lead them inside to it. Before they could proceed, a lone guard noticed them and blocked the door so they wouldn't gain any access.

"This is the mansion of Don Corneo, the most powerful man in Wall Market," said the man as he crossed his arms towards Cloud, "Sorry to tell you this, but the Don's not into men. Not his style, so don't even let me catch you around here again…"

Just then he noticed Aerith and gave a small grin towards her, "Hey! Another cute one!"

Before Cloud could do anything, Aerith gently dragged Cloud away from the guard and whispered to him so the guard wouldn't hear them.

"If this is Don's mansion I can go and take a look," whispered Aerith, "I can find Tifa and tell her all about you."

Before she could take another step, Cloud quickly grabbed Aerith's wrist and pulled her back in their little circle, "No! You can't!"

"Why," asked Aerith in confusion.

"You DO know…what kind of…place this is, don't you," asked Cloud as his face turned slightly red.

"Then what am I supposed to do? You want to go in with me," asked Aerith.

"Well being a man, that'll be pretty hard," said Cloud as his face turned back to normal and getting serious again, "Besides if I bust in there, it'll cause too much commotion. But, I just can't let you go in alone…Oh, man…First we need to find out if Tifa's alright…are you laughing Aerith?"

Aerith gave a small giggle while she was thinking. Cloud gave a confused look wondering why or how long Aerith had been laughing to herself while he was talking. Aerith noticed him staring at her and gave a bright warm smile to him.

"Cloud, why don't you dress up like a girl," smiled Aerith, "It's the only way to get in."

"WHAT," yelled Cloud in disbelief as he took a step back from Aerith.

Before he could respond, Aerith ran up towards the lone guard and smiled to him, "Just wait, I've got a cute friend I want to bring…if that's ok?"

"Of course," yelled the guard in excitement, "Anything for the Don!"

Aerith nodded and went back towards Cloud, wrapping her arms around his and walking away from the guard. Cloud's face was burning red now and Aerith only smiled towards him.

"Aerith…you know I can't," said Cloud sounding embarrassed with his face still burning red.

"If you ARE worried about Tifa, then you got no choice, but to do this, right," asked Aerith as she looked at Cloud. Cloud gave a weak nod and Aerith giggled, "Well then, come on! Let's hurry!"

* * *

The next few moments were forever for Cloud and Aerith, mostly for Cloud though as Aerith seemed to be enjoying herself with their little game on making Cloud dress up as a girl. They had gone to a nearby tailor and Aerith was asking for a dress. The woman watching the store had said that the owner, her father that makes all the dresses, has been in a slump lately and has been keeping himself in the bar. Aerith gave a small pout on her face, knowing that if they are going to need a dress, they would have to do something about her father. The woman of the store nodded and was caught by surprised when Aerith said they would bring him back, saying that if it was the only way to get a dress, they would gladly do it.

As the two continued back heading north of Wall Market, knowing they passed a bar while heading to Don Corneo's mansion, they walked inside the bar and saw a man, groaning and complaining about a clothing store. Cloud and Aerith had found their guy and slowly walked up to him.

"Excuse us, but are you the father of the girl at the clothing store," asked Aerith towards the man.

"Yes, I own the Clothes Shop…what of it," asked the man as he turned around to face Aerith and Cloud.

"I want you to make me some clothes," said Cloud.

"I don't make men's clothes," said the man, giving a grunt towards Cloud, "And I don't feel like making anything right now."

"Cloud? Can you wait over there for a second," asked Aerith as she pointed a chair that was far away from the man. Cloud shrugged and headed to where Aerith was pointing and sat down, while Aerith looked back at the man and continued, "You know mister….my friend over there said he wanted to dress up like a girl…just for once to see what it was like."

The man raised an eyebrow to Aerith and looked at Cloud, still sitting alone, and then back towards Aerith, becoming very curious, "Go on…"

"I need your help on making a very cute dress for him," said Aerith giving a small sad puppy expression on his face, "It would make him very happy…"

"Hm…a tough looking guy like him," asked the man as he stroked his chin, becoming very interested in this conversation. It only took him a second to make a decision and continued, "Might as well give it a shot. I was getting a little bored of just making regular clothes anyways."

"Then you'll do it for us," asked Aerith becoming very excited.

"Yeah, all right. What kind of dress you want," asked the man.

"I want something that feels soft and that shimmers," smiled Aerith.

"Hmm, got it," said the man as he gave a nod towards Aerith, "Y'know I got a friend that has the same taste as him. I'll go talk to him."

Aerith glee in excitement and called Cloud. Cloud groaned in happiness knowing their conversation was done and walked towards Aerith, ending up being dragged by her again. However it would take a while for the man to finish making Cloud's dress so they had time to spare. While they were waiting, Cloud checked a few stores to see what he could possibly need since he has been low on certain items, with Aerith's arms still wrapped around his of course. As the two were done shopping, they stopped by the tailor shop to see how things were going with Cloud's dress. The father they had met earlier said it wasn't ready yet and that it would take a little while longer for it to be finished. As the two left the shop once more to try and figure out what else they could do, a man had walked up to Cloud.

"Listen bud, you seem the type of guy that enjoys fun," said the man. He pulled out some kind of card and handed it to Cloud, "I just can't make up my mind. I'm getting cold feet so I'm letting you have it."

The man walked away before Cloud could respond back and before he could even chase after him, Cloud looked down to see it was a Honeybee Inn membership card. Cloud's face turned red instantly and Aerith giggled at him.

"You know, you could use a bath," smiled Aerith, "You do kind of stink and if you are going to dress up as a woman, might as well make yourself nice and clean."

Cloud remained silent as he didn't like the idea of taking a bath in a place like that, but it seemed he had no other choice.

* * *

Cloud returned to the Honeybee Inn, while Aerith said she was going to wait at the Clothes Store for him and make sure the dress would be ready by the time he came back. Cloud again cut in front of the line, ignoring all the threats and yells he was getting, and the two guards that had noticed him earlier gave a hello wave to him to see his return.

"Haha! Welcome back boy," laughed the fat man.

"I have a card," said Cloud as he quickly flashed them his membership card.

The skinny guard gave a light whistle and moved aside for him to enter. As Cloud stepped inside, the door closed behind him and a woman wearing a bumblebee costumed jumped in front of him.

"Buzz! Buzz! Hello, hello," said the woman as she was moving her hips for Cloud, "Welcome to Honeybee Inn! Buzz! Buzz! Please select a room and I'll be right with you shortly!"

Cloud walked around the area, spotting many doors that lead to different rooms. He really didn't like being here, but Aerith was right he needed a bath after all he has been through. He spotted a vacant room and pointed out the door next to him, saying he will choose this door.

"Buzz! Buzz! No problem," said the woman waving her hips side to side as she walked to Cloud, "Now all we have to do is enter the room. You're not going to have a change of heart, are you?"

"Don't make me repeat myself," said Cloud as he wanted to get this over with and get out of here.

"Ok! Ok! Jeez! Don't be angry with me…(Probably one of those violent type)," mumbled the bumblebee woman as she quickly unlocked the door and opened it for him. As Cloud had stepped inside, the bumblebee woman continued, "Now please wait a moment while I go and get you a 'guest'."

"Oh! That won't be-"

The woman had left, closing the door behind her.

"Necessary," mumbled Cloud as he was unable to finish his sentence.

The room was somewhat dark and Cloud tried to find a light switch and shine this place up a bit, and when he found one, the light wouldn't come on. He kept turning it back on and off, wondering if it'll work…sadly, it did not.

"Great, guess I'm going to have to take a bath in the dark now," grunted Cloud.

As Cloud was getting ready, he heard a buzzing in his head. He rubbed his head as he tried to make the noise go away, but the buzzing just got louder and louder. Cloud groaned in pain and heard a voice coming from inside of him.

_Hmm…? You…? What are you doing in a place like this? Should you really be fooling around here? You think problems will just go away just by not thinking about them?_

Cloud kept groaning in pain, wondering where the buzzing and the voice was coming from, but it just kept getting worse for him. Cloud gave a loud scream of pain as he kneeled into the ground. The woman that had left him earlier heard him and quickly ran inside to see him fall into the ground. The woman was crying for help as she raced towards Cloud, staying next to him. Then, Cloud's vision turned black as he slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

_You can't change anything by just sitting back and looking at it._

'_What are you saying,'_ thought Cloud in his mind.

_It's beginning to move._

'_What is,'_ thought Cloud becoming confused.

_Wake up!_

...

...

...

"Wake up! Wake up! I said wake up!"

"Uh…OW…!"

"Wake up! Wake up!"

Cloud groaned in pain and started to regain consciousness again. He quickly got up, throwing a huge muscular man off of him. Cloud sat at the edge of the bed, rubbing his face, trying to make himself become alert. The muscular man that was slapping Cloud moved to his side and was staring at him.

"Phew, I'm so relieved," said the muscular man, "Bubby! The name is Mukki and I heard you collapsed. "

"Huh," asked Cloud weakly as he stared at the man behind him.

"Hmm…? They say youth is so long but so short," sighed Mukki, "Oh well, time's up anyways. Goodbye, bubby!"

As the muscular man got up and left the room, the bumblebee woman waited by the door and walked up to Cloud, quickly bowing her head down to him.

"I'm so sorry," said the woman as she apologized to Cloud, "There's a lot of 'adult' things going on…I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Cloud sighed and walked out of the Honeybee Inn, trying to leave as quickly as possible. He wondered what happened to him back there. He heard a buzzing sound and a voice in his head, having know idea where it was coming from. Cloud shook his head and decided now wasn't the time to think about it. What he needed to focus on was finding Tifa and see if she was alright. Cloud returned to the clothing store and Aerith walked up to him, glad that he was finally back.

"Did you have a good time in The Honeybee Inn," asked Aerith as she leaned towards Cloud, "You were gone for quite a while."

"I'm sorry," said Cloud as he was rubbing his eyes.

"Are you okay," asked Aerith becoming worried now, "You don't look so well. And your face is all red...it almost looked like somebody was slapping you constantly!"

"It's nothing. How is the dress coming along," asked Cloud as he tried to change the subject.

"Oh! It's ready! Go on ahead and try it," smiled Aerith as she went to the owner and grabbed the dress from him as she gave it Cloud.

Cloud sighed as he took the dress from her and walked into the dressing room. He closed the curtain and tried to put on his dress, but he seemed to be having a hard time with it.

"How…do you put this on," asked Cloud sounding frustrated.

Aerith walked up towards the curtain and poked her head inside through the curtains. Cloud jumped and blushed deeply as he tried to cover himself.

"Whoa! What are you doing," yelled Cloud.

"It's still not right," mumbled Aerith. She thought for a moment and then it hit her. She gave a smile towards Cloud and told him what he need, "What you need is a wig!"

"Great! Now can you please remove your head from the curtains so I can put back my clothes," yelled Cloud still blushing red.

Aerith smiled and removed her head so Cloud could have some privacy. As Cloud was busy changing back into his clothes, the dressmaker nodded and called out to Aerith. Aerith looked back towards him to hear what he was going to say.

"Umm, I thought you might need one. I talked to a friend about getting one. You know the gym? You'll find a lot of people there like your friend. Why not go and talk to them," suggested the dressmaker.

As Cloud stepped out of his dressing room, he looked at the dressmaker and then back to Aerith feeling nervous, "…'like your friend'? Aerith, what did you tell him?"

"Does it matter," asked Aerith as she placed her hands on her hips, "Anyhow, we got a pretty dress! Now let's go to the gym!"

* * *

'_Please tell me you're joking,'_ thought Cloud as he and Aerith walked inside of the gym.

The gym was filled with exercise equipment scattered all over the floor, one muscle man kicking a punching bag, one dark skinned man doing push-ups, two men were doing squats in a boxing ring by the entrance of the gym, and one muscled…woman? Cloud had a feeling that was no woman that was watching the two men doing squats in the ring. The person noticed Cloud and Aerith standing by the entrance and walked up towards them. The sound of her voice obviously made him a man.

"You the one…who wants to be cute," asked the transvestite male.

"Cute," asked Cloud as he raised an eyebrow.

"That's right," smiled Aerith, "And about the wig…"

"Yeah, I heard. But it'll cost ya."

Just then they heard a huge growl from the dark skinned man that was doing push-ups earlier in the back of the gym. He walked up towards the three and pointed towards Cloud, as if he was challenging him.

"Big Bro! The only way you're gonna get cuter is if you can beat Big Bro," yelled the dark skinned muscle man.

"That's right! So, you've got to compete with us," yelled the two men that were in the ring as they faced Cloud, speaking exactly at the same time.

"You're right. Let's do squats," said transvestite male as he nodded his head.

"All right! We'll beat you out of this gym," yelled the two males.

Cloud blinked as he stared at the male in front of him, "Wait. Are you…"

"THE Beautiful Bro," said Aerith as she finished Cloud's sentence.

"What? You didn't know? Always running around here sayin' Big Bro' this, Big Bro' that…," asked 'Beautiful Bro' as he sighed, than shaking his head, "Never mind that. YOU! Come over here."

'Beautiful Bro' called out towards the dark skinned male as he moved aside, letting the two males face each other and explained the rules, "Whoever has the most squats after 30 seconds gets the wig."

"I'm not going to lose," said the dark skinned muscle man as he grinned to Cloud, "Big Bro's wig is MINE!"

"Just be quiet," sighed Beautiful Bro and looked towards Cloud, "It's not fair for you to start right away. You want to practice?"

"Don't need to," said Cloud as he gave a stretch.

"Fine then. Let's begin the real thing," said Beautiful Bro as he raised his hand up in the air. Cloud and dark skinned male glared at each other, going to their ready position and Beautiful Bro slashed his arm down, indicating to start.

Cloud moved as quickly as he can. He wasn't really good with squats, but with all the training Zack was giving him, he might be able to stand a chance. Aerith watched Cloud as he was performing his squats, giving out a small weak smile. He did sort of act and talked just like him when she had first met him, but after 30 seconds were up, Aerith shook her head to make herself stop daydreaming and wondered who had won. Beautiful Bro gave a small smile, impressed by Cloud's performance and that he was able to beat their local champion.

"You're really something," smiled Beautiful Bro as he gave a small chuckle, "Okay, I'm a man of my word."

Beautiful Bro handed him a blonde wig that had two twin braids hanging down at the back. The opponent however wasn't liking the idea he lost and Cloud had taken his wig.

"Big Bro, I'm so mad! I'm so so so-mad!"

Beautiful Bro gave a huge punch, pushing the man across the room and making him hit against the wall. Everyone jumped by his strength and surprised attack.

"Shut up! Don't cry just because you lost!"

"Uuuuhh, Bro's fists of steel cut to the bone!"

Cloud and Aerith looked at each other and quickly left the gym as they felt like they didn't want to stay in here any longer and find out what else might happen.

* * *

The two returned to the Clothes Shop, Cloud taking the dress and putting it on one more time. He was able to successfully put on the dress and glad it was long enough to reach down to the ground, covering his boots and also that fact he wouldn't have to wear high heeled shoes. He placed the wig on his head that he got and walked out of his dressing room. Aerith gave a small giggle while everyone in the room gave a huge gasp.

"Hmm, not bad," said the owner as he seem pleased, "This may be a new business for me."

"Yeah, I think you're right," said the owner's daughter, "We should try it."

The owner's daughter looked up to Cloud and bowed her head down to him, "Thanks for showing us something new. My father's got his motivation back now, so the dress is on the house."

"Walk more nicely," said Aerith as shedemonstrated a small walk for Cloud, "Like this see? Ok…Miss Cloud?"

Cloud's face blushed in embarrassment and turned his head away from Aerith, "What do you mean 'nicely'?"

Cloud walked away from his dressing room and walked towards the counter, trying to imitates Aerith's walk that she had demonstrated earlier, but only got a small giggle as her response.

"Oh you're so cute, Miss Cloud. Aaah, I want one. Do you have one that'll look good on me too," asked Aerith as she looked at the workers of the clothes shop.

"How's this," asked the owner's daughter as she pulled out a dress for Aerith.

"How about this one," asked the dressmake as he pulled out a dress for her as well.

"Father, what are you talking about? This one's much better."

"No! What are you saying? It's this one."

Aerith walked up to a clothes rack and pulled out a dress, showing a smile on her face, "I want THIS one."

The father and daughter gave out shock expressions and Aerith walked towards her dressing room.

"I'm going to change now…and Cloud? No peeking!"

Aerith closed the curtain and in a few minutes, Aerith came out wearing a red dress that was nearly above and covering her breasts and the skirt reached down to her hips, right above her knees. Aerith smiled towards Cloud and did a small 360 spin so she could show him every side of her.

"So? How do I look?"

Cloud could only stare and after remaining silent for a while, he just sighed and shook his head. Aerith gave a pouting face, putting her hands on her hips.

"Oh, you're no fun!"

"Let's just go to Don's mansion so I can get rid of this dress," said Cloud as his face was turning red, not enjoying every bit of this mini-game he was playing.

**END OF: OPPRESSED PEOPLE**

Yay, done. Well, hoped you all liked it. I know mine is probably not as good as Irish-Brigid's story, but again, trying to make a different approach. Like, an alternate story of an alternate story ^_^; But don't want to sound greedy, but can I at least have one review for each chapter? I mean, I'm glad people are putting it on their favorites and putting it on their alert list, but you know. At least with one review it help me work a little faster on my next chapter. Of course it doesn't have to be the same person, just you know, one review once in a while. But anyways, putting that aside, hoped you liked it!**  
**


	7. DON OF THE SLUMS

Sorry for not updating, I was updating another story of mine. Anyways, I'm going to be following more into the game plot because you know, there are other authors who are also doing a 'What if Zack survive' story and well of course I don't want my plot to be similar to theirs, so mine will follow more into the actually game. Probably sounds dull and maybe it is, but this is the route I choose to take. I'll try to break out of the game plot if I can, but for now I'm going to be using it. I know this story might not get as many hits and reviews the other stories are getting, but still, I hope I get a good decent amount and be successful as theirs. Anyways, here is the next chapter and I hope you will enjoy it.

**CHAPTER 06: DON OF THE SLUMS**

Aerith was carrying her bag that had all her clothes in it and also her retractable staff inside of it. She didn't want to leave anywhere without and of course she need to change into her old clothes once this whole mess was over. She smiled towards Cloud as she watched him struggling to keep his dress nice and clean from the dirt and filth that was around them. Though, Cloud was trying to keep his rifle and small sword from banging onto the side of his leg. Every step he took, the side of his two weapons would hit against his legs and Cloud was getting annoyed of the constant pain he was getting. He was also getting annoyed by the constant grins, wolf whistles, and comments both he and Aerith were getting from the men in Wall Market as they were heading towards Don's mansion. As they finally reached their destination, the lone guard gave out a small whistle towards Aerith and the female Cloud and opened the door to lead them inside to.

As they walked inside, a man with a suit stood in the center of the room smiling and greeted towards them. He told Aerith and Cloud to stay put as he walked away to notify Don Corneo about his "guests." He took Aerith's bag and placed it on a shelf before he walked off to notify his boss, but Cloud of course went off to search for Tifa once the man was out of sight with Aerith following behind him. They carefully checked each door one by one, until they finally reached a room leaded straight down into a basement. Aerith walked down into the room with Cloud behind her, lifting up his dress to make sure he wouldn't trip onto it or else he would plummet to his death if he would trip.

'_The last thing I want is to not die as a freakin' cross-dresser,'_ thought Cloud as he gave a frustrated look as he took little steps as he descended down into the basement.

As he finally reached flat ground, he gave a small relaxing sigh and saw a woman in a blue dress; the same woman he saw at the back of the carriage. It was defiantly Tifa, but she tilted her head in wonder and curiosity as she looked at the two new strange women that stood before her. Aerith gave a big warm smile as she walked up to Tifa while Cloud just turned his head to the side to avoid being noticed by Tifa.

"Tifa," asked Aerith as she walked towards the woman in the blue dress and then extended her hands to her, "Nice to meet you. I'm Aerith."

"How do you know me," asked Tifa as she raised an eyebrow towards Aerith.

"Cloud has told me a lot about you," smiled Aerith as she lowered her hand.

"How do you know Cloud," asked Tifa, her tone sounding surprised as this new strange girl said Cloud's name.

"Long story, but don't worry. We just met, so it's nothing," smiled Aerith.

"What do you mean. 'Don't worry' …about what," asked Tifa, surprised by her comment and placing her hands on her hips, seeming annoyed by her, "No, don't misunderstand. Cloud and I grew up together. Nothing more."

"Poor Cloud, having to stand here and listen to both of us call him nothing," said Aerith as she placed her hand on her mouth, trying to hide her giggle and then faced towards the blonde, "Right Cloud?"

"Cloud," asked Tifa in confusion as she looked at the blonde female.

Cloud gave a sigh and slowly walked towards Tifa, his eyes staring down at the ground, trying to avoid contact with Tifa. Tifa just examined him, studying every side of him and jumped in surprised. Cloud's face grew red and gave out another sigh, becoming more embarrassed.

"Cloud," yelled Tifa in shocked and then began speaking at a face pace tone, "Why are you dressed like that? What are you doing here? Forget that! What happened after the fall? Are you hurt? Is anything broken? Do you have any idea how worried I was when you fell?"

All of a sudden, small tears were falling down her cheek and hugged Cloud as tight as she could, resting her head on his chest. Though his dress was in the way and made it kind of awkward, she didn't care and ignored it, knowing Cloud was here with her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down," smiled Cloud softly and then gently pushing her back, wiping her small tears away before continuing, "Give me a chance to answer. I'm dressed like this to enter Don Corneo's mansion when I saw you when on that Chocobo carriage and thought you were in danger. As for the fall, no nothing is broken and I'm all right. Aerith helped me out and I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Oh, Aerith did…" said Tifa as she wiped the last tear off of her, her tone sounding a little jealous.

"What are you doing in a place like this," asked Cloud, his turn on asking questions, "We should get out of here while we have the chance."

"Yeah, ummm…," said Tifa sounding nervous as she looked at Aerith.

Aerith gave a small groan and rolled her eyes as she walked away from the two, covering her ears with her hands and yelling at them trying to make sure they heard her loud and clear even though they were just a few inches away, "I'm just plugging my ears so you two can talk privately! Don't mind me!"

Cloud gave a nervous laugh and Tifa smiled weakly towards Aerith and faced back towards Cloud, continuing her conversation, "I'm glad you're ok."

"Thanks," said Cloud as he gave a small smile towards Tifa, "So, what happened?"

"When we got back from the Number 5 Reactor, there was this weird man that came into the bar," said Tifa, "Barret caught him and squeezed some information out of him."

"That's when the Don's name popped up," asked Cloud.

"Right, Don Corneo," said Tifa as she nodded and continued, "Barret told me to leave the lech alone…but something's been bothering me."

"I see. So you wanted to get the story straight from Corneo's mouth," said Cloud as he crosses his arms realizing Tifa's motive for being here in the first place, "How is Za-"

Before Cloud could finish his sentence, Aerith walked up to the two and placed her hands on her hips as she got into their conversation, "Sorry for butting in like this…but do we got some kind of plan to get out of here?"

"Well I'm in a bind right now," sighed Tifa as she rubbed her forehead, "Corneo is looking for a bride. Everyday, he gets three girls, chooses them, and then…and, well…The point is, I need to get information from Corneo and I have to be that girl or I'm out for tonight."

"If you know the three girls, then there's no problem, right," asked Aerith as she gave a smile.

"I guess so," mumbled Tifa sounding nervous on the idea.

"There are two of us here, right," asked Aerith as she gave out another smile towards Tifa.

"No Aerith! I can't have you involved," yelled Cloud, obviously not liking the idea Aerith was getting at, "It's too dangerous! You are already involved in this whole mess! I don't want to put you into more danger than you already are!"

"Oh? So it's all right for Tifa to be in danger, but not me," asked Aerith as she gave a pouting face towards Cloud, and her tone sounding angry and annoyed.

"No, I don't want Tifa in..."

Before Cloud could finish his sentence, Tifa placed her hand on Cloud's shoulder, interrupting him and giving him a soft smile before she walked up towards Aerith, "Is it all right?"

"I grew up in the slums…I'm used to danger," smiled Aerith, "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," said Tifa as she nodded towards Aerith, giving her own smile, "Thanks, Ms. Aerith."

Aerith giggled and shook her head towards Tifa, not liking the 'miss' title, "Just call me Aerith."

"Hey," yelled the man with the suit from the top of the stairs. The three looked up to see the man that was calling out towards them and recognized it was the same man they had met before when they entered the mansion. The man seemed annoyed as he looked down at the three guests, "It's time ladies. The Don is waiting!"

As he walked away out of the basement, he mumbled something out his breath mentioning them not to wander around and said something sexist before telling them to hurry up. Cloud gave a small glare and wanted to say he was actually a man, but knew it would be a bad idea to say that. He cleared his throat, catching the two ladies attention.

"I probably don't need to ask this, but the other girl you mention Aerith…you weren't talking about Tifa huh? It was me," asked Cloud as he scratched the back of his head.

Tifa and Aerith looked at each other and gave out a small giggle towards each other, obviously laughing at Cloud.

"You're right, there was no need.."

"…to ask."

* * *

Cloud gave a disgusted look on his face, but he was careful to make sure nobody would see it on his face. Tifa, Aerith, and himself stood in Don Corneo's office, but what caught Cloud's attention was the fat round man wearing so much gold on him. He sat on his chair with his two guards behind him. He had a curly blonde moustache, completely bald except with little of his hair growing at the top front of his head. He was also shirtless, wearing only a red robe over him showing his fat body and wore tight blue pants that looked like the button of the pants was ready to burst open.

Don Corneo got off of his chair, showing the man's height towards the three. Cloud wanted to burst into laughter as he saw how short the fat man was as he saw he was only near the same height as his waist, but had to resist the urge to do so. Tifa wanted information from him and Cloud had to be careful not to blow his cover, but man! Don Corneo was short and fat!

"Hmmmm! Good, splendid," said Corneo as he walked pass the three ladies that stood in front of him; actually, two ladies and the cross-dresser, "Now, let's see…which girl should I choose? Hmmm….hmmm."

Corneo walked towards Aerith, examining her first. Aerith gave a bright smile towards Corneo, but of course Cloud could see that she was faking it, hiding her disgust on the fat man. Corneo then walked towards Tifa next, examining her. Tifa gave a nervous smile towards him and Cloud noticed her placing her hands behind her, clenching them tightly into a fist, as if she wanted to punch the man to death. Cloud though was clenching his teeth, not liking the idea of this man being near Tifa, but quickly cooled down as Don Corneo walked up to him next. He tried to get a good look on his face, but Cloud turned his head, pretending to be shy, but it was to make sure he wouldn't see through his disguise.

"Woo-hoo, I've made up mind," yelled Corneo as he jumped into the air in excitement.

There was a silence, long silence, deep silence, silence that couldn't get anymore silent. Cloud could almost hear a drum roll ringing in his ears, and then, he panicked. He realized who Don Corneo was pointing it. He wasn't pointing at Aerith, he wasn't pointing at Tifa, but pointing at him!

"I choose this healthy-looking little beauty," said Don Corneo, as he kneeled towards Cloud as if he was asking him for marriage, which made Cloud sick to the stomach. Don Corneo stood back up and looked at guards behind him. He waved towards them sounding unimpressed, "Eh…You can have the other ones…"

'_Other…'_

'…_Ones?'_

Aerith and Tifa were clenching their teeth as Don Corneo made that remark. Sure they were glad they weren't chosen by him and of course felt sorry for Cloud, but still, that comment he made the two females angry.

"Yes, sir! Thank you sir," yelled the two guards at the same time as they saluted towards Cornero.

"Wa, wait a sec! I mean, uh, please wait," said Cloud, trying to talk Corneo on changing his mind and by slightly making his voice sound more feminine.

"Woo-hoo! I love chickies who play hard-to-get! Yeowza," grinned Corneo excitingly. He walked up towards his room and looked behind him, eyeing at Cloud with a huge perverted smirk on his face, "Well then, shall we go my pretty?"

Cloud gulped and looked at Tifa and Aerith for help. Aerith just stood there smiling softly and waved her hands at him to tell him to 'go on'. Tifa nodded softly towards him, but had a worried expression on her face. Cloud sighed weakly and realized he had no choice, but to continue on. He worried about the two females, but hoped they would be alright without him and walked with Corneo as they headed towards his bedroom.

* * *

Cloud stood at the edge of the bed while Don Corneo was lying on the bed in a seductive pose. It made Cloud sick to every bone in his body and a shiver down his spine. What the hell was he doing here? He wanted to throw up in the situation he was in, but fought it. Right now Tifa wanted information from he and now that he was here, he had no choice but to get it out of him himself.

'_Zack…If only you knew the hell I was in right now,'_ thought Cloud in his mind.

"You're so cute, I never get tired of looking at you," cooed Corneo. He then got on all fours like some kind of tiger, but only fat and wobbling around, "Do you like me?"

'_HELL NO,'_ thought Cloud angrily.

"Ummm…of course Don," mumbled Cloud, trying his best to sound feminine.

"You sure do know how to make a guy feel good," grinned Corneo as he slowly moved closer to Cloud, "Then, wh...what do you want to DO?"

'_Stick my sword in your chest and put a bullet in your skull,'_ thought Cloud as he wanted to reach for his rifle and small sword that was hiding under his dress.

"Ummm…whatever you want Don," mumbled Cloud as he hid his face trying to hide his disgust.

"Oh man! I can't stand it," yelled Corneo as he got more excited, wobbling back and forth as if he was ready to jump, "Give me a kiss! A KISS!"

'_Kiss my ass'_ thought Cloud but then quickly changed his mind after realizing what he just said in his mind, _'Actually scratch that. Just stay away from me, Tifa, and Aerith!'_

"Oh Don…I would gladly give you a kiss," mumbled Cloud which made Don excited, "But I can't do that…"

"Wha-what," asked Don in confusion and disappointed, "Don't tell me there's someone else!"

"It's not that Don…it's just that…"

"It's just that…," said Don, inching closer to Cloud, raising an eyebrow.

"It's just that…I ain't INTERESTED with perverted freaks like you," yelled Cloud.

Don Corneo jumped by surprised towards the wall to see Cloud remove his dress and tossing it up to the side, revealing his original clothes underneath. He removed his sword and hung it on his back while he removed his rifle and aimed it at Corneo.

"WHAT THE HELL? A MAN? GUARDS! GUARDS," yelled Corneo as loud as he could, trying to get his men's attention. However, he stopped short when two females came running inside into his bed room. He instantly recognize them as they were the same females that were in his office moments ago, except that they were wearing different clothes now, "WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE? WHAT HAPPENED TO MY GUARDS?"

"Shut up," yelled Tifa which made Corneo close his mouth and scared while she headed towards the other side of the bed where Corneo was with Cloud and Aerith behind her, "We're asking the questions now. What did your assistant find out about AVALANCHE? Talk! If you don't tell us…"

"I'll chop them off," glared Cloud as he placed his foot on Don Corneo's bed as he put his rifle away, letting it hung down from his belt buckle and clenched onto the hilt of his sword.

"No! Not that! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything," screamed Corneo as he waved his hands towards them, "I made my assistant find out where the man with the gun-arm was. But it was because I was ordered to do so!"

"By who," asked Tifa as she placed her hands on her hips demanding an answer.

"No-! If I told you that, I'd be killed," said Corneo sweating intensely.

"Talk," yelled Tifa pointing her finger towards Corneo, "If you don't tell us…"

"I'll rip them off," said Aerith as she smiled brightly towards Corneo as she placed her foot on his bed much like what Cloud did.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaah-! Heidegger! Heidegger of Shinra! Heidegger, the head of Public Safety Maintenance! THE Heidegger," screamed Corneo.

"You're kidding me," yelled Cloud by surprised.

"What is Shinra up to? Talk," yelled Tifa. She placed her foot on Corneo's bed just like what the others did and punched her fist into her other hand, glaring towards him, "If you don't tell us…I'll smash them."

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! You're serious, aren't you? Ohboy, ohboy, ohboy," screamed Corneo to the point where he was crying and shaking his head nervously, "I'm not fooling around here either, you know! Shinra's trying to crush AVALANCHE and want to infiltrate their hideout! They're really going to crush them…literally! They are going to break the support holding up the plate above them!"

"Break the support," yelled Tifa in fear.

"Yeah, yeah yeah! They are going to make it go PING! And then everything is gonna go BAMMM and BOOMMM," yelled Corneo as he tried to add and act the sound effects in his sentence, "I heard their hideout's in the Sector 7 Slums…I'm just glad it's not here in Sector 6."

"Oh no…they're going to wipe out the Sector 7 Slums," mumbled Tifa, fear in her voice. She quickly looked at Cloud, "You will come me to Sector 7, won't you?"

Cloud faced towards her nodded, "Of course Tifa. You know I will."

"Same here," said Aerith.

The three quickly headed towards the door, but before they could get near it and leave, Corneo called out towards them, stopping them, "Just a second!"

"Shut up," yelled Cloud as he glared towards Corneo, getting annoyed with him.

"No wait, it'll only take a second," said Corneo. He got on his two legs and extended his hand towards them showing three of his fingers, "How do you think scum like me feels when they babble on about the truth? I'll give you one chance to answer. Is it: One, they've pretty much given up on life? Two, they're sure they'll win? Or three, they don't know what the hell's going on?"

"Three," asked Cloud.

"Woo-hoo! Close," smiled Corneo but then gave a sinister smirk on his face, "but no cigar!"

Corneo pressed a switch on his bed post, activating a trap door underneath them. Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith fell down into the darkness before with the trap door closing up. Corneo just gave a small dance and laugh as he couldn't believe they fell his trap.

**END OF: DON OF THE SLUMS**

Sometimes I wonder how people do that, they just grab a good hold onto their clothes, remove it with one stroke and reveal new clothes underneath them and how they make that possible. Anyways, I Cloud's dress to go over his clothes and let's just say the skirts of his dress was bulky enough to cover his rifle and sword which were tied to his legs. Just go with the flow on this one please? Also, I wanted Aerith's staff to be retractable because you know, there is no way you can hide a staff that's long as hell. And Aerith and Tifa had changed into their original clothes, just wasn't mentioned. I also know the thoughts Cloud was having in his mind doesn't match with his personality, but still, I thought it was nice and funny touch to add onto. Anyways, please review. I'll accept any and all kinds of reviews: love, joy, hate, criticism. A review is a review right?


	8. ON THE VERGE OF ASSAULT

_Don't know what else to say…I know, I know…there are others who are working on a 'What if Zack survived' story so it's not going to get many hits and reviews as those and also it'll be pretty much rereading a story you have already read, but please, give mine some time. My story will take a different approach…well it'll be following the game plot and I know the other authors are also following it…but with a different approach…okay now that's just confusing. My point is, just give my story a chance and I'm sure you'll enjoy it…I hope. Anyways, here is the next chapter and hope you will enjoy it._

* * *

**CHAPTER 07: ON THE VERGE OF ASSAULT**

Zack and Barret were at the 7th Heaven bar, sitting around doing nothing. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie were in the secret room making plans for their next mission while Marlene was watching the bar. Barret was just tapping his foot against the wooden floor and Zack was resting his legs on top of the table, his chair leaning and his hands behind his head. Tifa had gone off on her own to get information from Don Corneo which made Barret uneasy. He told her to leave him alone, but she wouldn't listen and had gone off. She had been gone for far too long…at least for Barret. Zack just sat there relaxing as if he didn't had a care in the world at the moment and it made him angry.

"Yo! Aren't you at least worried about Tifa," yelled Barret as he glared towards the ex-SOLIDER.

"Of course I'm worried about her, but I know Tifa can take care of herself. She'll be fine," said Zack.

"Yeah but-"

"She'll get here when she gets here," said Zack as he sat straight upward and faced towards Barret, "Just relax and wait for her…"

"Fine…so how feeling over spiky's-"

"Don't even say it," mumbled Zack, "I don't like the thought of it. I always hope he is somehow alive…"

"But you know with a fall like that, no one couldn't have survived," said Barret.

"You'd be surprised. I once fell to my death before; thought I was going to die...But I was saved by an angel," replied Zack, "I pray the same thing happened to him…"

"An angel," asked Barret as he raised an eyebrow, staring at Zack as he couldn't believing him.

'_Aerith…I wonder how you are doing,'_ thought Zack.

Before Barret could ask what Zack had meant, they heard people screaming outside and the two quickly went out to see what the commotion was. Barret and Zack soon saw a large squad of Shinra SOLIDERS raiding the area and firing their rifles into the air. The citizens were screaming and running for their lives as the SOLIDERS started to move in. Barret was clenching his left hand into a fist and Zack was grinding his teeth as he couldn't believe what was going on.

"Damn! SOLIDERS," yelled Barret, "What are they doing here?"

"Come on! Let's stop them before they hurt anyone else," yelled Zack as he grabbed hold onto the hilt of his sword.

"Right! Marlene! You stay right here all right," yelled Barret as he looked at his daughter.

Marlene nodded in fear and stood behind the counter and saw her father and Zack running towards the SOLIDERS. The SOLIDERS quickly spotted the two and began firing at them, hoping to bring them down with their shower of bullets. Barret quickly took cover and was using his gun arm to fire back while Zack was using his sword to block off and deflect the bullets. Barret was able to get a few SOLIDERS down onto the ground, but Zack was getting most of them as he quickly took them out with a swing of his sword. Each SOLIDER fell one by one until there was only one left standing. The last SOLIDER was wearing a red uniform, obviously the commander of the group that was leading the attack. The red SOLIDER aimed his rifle towards Zack, but before he could even fire it, Zack slashed the weapon into two, making it useless. He grabbed the commander's collar and brought his face close to his, showing an angry expression towards him, not pleased with their actions.

"What the hell are you doing here," yelled Zack. The commander didn't respond, either he was frightened by Zack or he was too stubborn to admit anything. It didn't matter to Zack because as soon as he punched a nearby wall, giving it a huge dent, the commander began to speak.

"We were ordered to attack Sector 7," yelled the commander in fear, "Shinra believed AVALANCHE was using this area as a hideout and wanted us to raid it! We were sent here to break the support to destroy the slums! That's all I know! I swear!"

"What," yelled Zack, "Break the support?"

Zack clenched his teeth angrily and slammed his fist into the commander's helmet, crushing it and instantly knocking him out. Barret had walked up to him with a confused look on his face, wondering why Zack looked so angry. Zack told him what the Shinra SOLIDER had said to him and now Barret understood why he was so upset, because he too was showing anger on his face. Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie started running towards the two, wondering why they heard so much gunfire and saw Zack and Barret outside with motionless SOLIDERS around them. Zack had told the trio what was happening as he had told to Barret and saw them showing fear on their faces.

"We need to stop them and fast," yelled Jessie.

"But what about Tifa," asked Biggs as he looked at his boss.

"We'll worry about Tifa later! Right now this is more important," yelled Barret, "Let's move out and protect the pillar before Shinra gets anywhere near it!"

Everyone nodded and quickly headed to the support, hoping they can hold out against the assault. It was going to be one hell of a fight…

* * *

Cloud groaned in pain as he gained his conscious back. He was laying on a platform next to a river of dirty water and trash flowing down the tunnel. He got up and saw the two females next to each knocked out, and quickly ran towards them.

"Tifa! Aerith! Wake up," yelled Cloud as he raced towards the two and kneeled to the floor to them.

Tifa and Aerith groaned in pain and slowly got up, rubbing their foreheads to get rid of the headaches that was ringing in their heads. They observed their surroundings and Tifa could only give a frustrated sigh. Don Corneo had a secret trapdoor AND it just so happens to be in his bedroom. How they fell for that will forever be a mystery to her. But right now she had other things to worry about. The fact that Shinra was going to blow up the support just to get rid of them made her burst into tears. Aerith placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to give her comfort and Cloud moved closer to her.

"Cloud…I'm scared! I'm worried about the people in the slums! I'm worried about Marlene and Barret," cried Tifa.

"Tifa," mumbled Cloud softly, trying to think of words to comfort her, but it seemed Aerith was already on that.

"Don't give up, never give up hope. It's not easy to destroy the pillar right," asked Aerith as she tried comforting Tifa.

Tifa looked up at Aerith, showing her a forced smile and nodded, "Yeah…you're right! We still have time."

"Then let's hurry," said Cloud as he gave a smile and brought up Tifa to her feet and the three quickly heading out of the sewers.

* * *

"There's no end to them," yelled Zack while he was running.

"We need to hurry and make our stand or else hundreds of people will die," yelled Barret as he kept firing his gun arm down below them.

"You guys keep going! I'll hold them off," yelled Biggs.

"Biggs your nuts," yelled Jessie.

"Someone has to keep them busy! Go! Go," yelled Biggs.

"Stay alive alright," said Wedge as he looked at his partner.

"Save the people of the slums first! Worry about me later," yelled Biggs as he ran back down to the bottom.

"Come on! Let's move," yelled Zack as he continued moving forward.

"Incoming," yelled Wedge as he pointed towards a helicopter that was heading towards them.

"Damn! Move! Move," yelled Barret as he started picking up the pace.

* * *

Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith were crossing through the train graveyard as they finally got out of the sewers. They weren't too far from their destination; however the obstacles they were facing took most of their time. It was after a while they had reached the base of the pillar and saw a few of people standing by the gate, staring at the top. They even saw a couple of Shinra SOLIDER bodies lying on the ground motionless. Cloud kneeled close to the lifeless bodies while Tifa raced towards the pillar, staring at the top with the other people of the slums.

"We made it! The pillar's still standing," yelled Tifa, sighing in relief.

"Yeah, but for how long," said Cloud as he got up from the ground and walked towards Tifa.

The three looked up to hear rapid gun-firing coming from the top of the pillar. Judging by the sound of non-stop firing, Cloud and Tifa had guessed it was Barret. All of a sudden, there was a bright flash and the gang froze in fear as they saw a body falling from the pillar. It crashed landed onto the floor and what shocked them was that the body was still moving, barely though. As they inched closer, Tifa fell onto her knees, covering her mouth in fear and trying to fight back against her tears. It was Wedge and he was severely injured. He coughed up a large amount of blood and noticed the three people surrounding him, instantly recognizing two of them.

"C-Cloud? T-Tifa? Is that you," said Wedge weakly as he slowly reached his arm upward.

"Yeah, were here," said Tifa as she grabbed hold of Wedge's hand, holding it firmly as to show she wasn't going anywhere.

"Barret…is…at the top…argh…I…don't know how long….ugh…he can last," said Wedge as he was using every ounce of his strength to speak, "Zack…is with him…as well."

'_Zack,'_ thought Aerith in surprised. Was it the same Zack, her Zack, or perhaps someone different else who just happened to have the same name as him?

Just then, Wedge stopped talking and Tifa could feel his arm instantly giving up. His eyes were still left opened, but completely lifeless and Tifa reached towards him, closing his eyes shut. She placed his hand down on his chest and slowly got up. She wiped the last of her tears and looked up towards the pillar, clenching her fist tightly and showing nothing but anger in her eyes.

"Aerith," said Tifa as she looked towards the flower girl, taking a small deep breath and catching her attention, "Can you please do me a favor? There is this bar called '7th Heaven' in this neighborhood. There's a little girl named Marlene there…"

"Don't worry. I understand what you are trying to say. I promise I'll put her somewhere safe," said Aerith as she gave out a nod.

Tifa smiled softly and saw Cloud placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a small nod and the two soon began heading towards the pillar. As Aerith started to head out, she took one last look towards the structure and gave an uneasy look in her eyes. Their friend said the name Zack and she wondered who this Zack EXACTLY was. She then felt something falling down her cheek and placed her hand against it, feeling a watery substance. It was a light a tear, but why was she crying? She had no reason to cry…or was there? She shook her head, trying to get rid of the thought and quickly headed towards Tifa's bar. She promised her she would take the girl to a safe place and right now she wanted to keep that promise.

* * *

Cloud and Tifa were running on the stairs, trying to hurry as fast as they could to reach the top of the structure. Wedge had said Barret and Zack were in trouble and they didn't want to waste anymore time that they had left. As they continued moving up, they saw a man leaning against a rail and Tifa quickly ran up towards him.

"Biggs," yelled Tifa as she moved close to the familiar man.

Biggs was badly wounded, bullet holes had penetrated through his body and blood was oozing out of him. He was slowly dying and painfully and the two knew he didn't had any much time.

"Tifa," said Biggs weakly, trying to lift up his head to look at the woman, but failed.

"Biggs, your…hurt. Try not to speak or move," said Cloud as he kneeled next to him.

"Cloud…that you? Ha…ha…never figured…you would care," laughed Biggs weakly, coughing up blood. Cloud looked down at the ground and Biggs saw him clenching his fist tightly at the edge of his sight and gave a weak smile, "Don't…worry about me. Barret and Zack…are in trouble…so go…"

"Biggs," mumbled Tifa softly.

Biggs raised his right arm and weakly shoved Tifa away from him, trying to tell her not to waste her time on him, and yelled towards the both of them, "Go!"

Cloud and Tifa stood up on their two feet and continued racing to the top. Biggs gave another weak smile as he heard their footsteps echoing above them and faintly disappearing. He decided to take a quick nap before getting back up to help his friends. He didn't know why he felt so tired and couldn't help it but close his eyes shut. He soon fell into a deep slumber, not realizing he wasn't going to wake up from it.

Cloud and Tifa soon saw another person they recognize. Jessie was sitting down on her knees and resting her head against the rail. She had some bullet wounds on her, but not as serious Biggs had. She gave a weak smile as she saw the two run up towards her.

"Hi Tifa…Hi Cloud," smiled Jessie softly, a small light blush on Jessie's face as she mentioned the blonde's name.

"Jessie! Are you okay," asked Tifa.

"I'm fine. Minor injuries," laughed Jessie weakly, but soon gave a groan of pain as she held her left arm.

"Let me look at that," said Cloud as his hands reached up towards her.

Jessie protested, but Cloud grabbed her left arm, holding it gently and rolled up her sleeve. Tifa gasped in fear and Jessie turned her head to the side as she saw Cloud speechless. Jessie had serve multiple bullet holes on her arm with blood flowing down her like some kind of waterfall and drops hitting on the platform they were standing on.

"They disarmed me pretty badly," laughed Jessie weakly, "Made sure I wouldn't lift up another rifle and fire back..."

"Jessie," mumbled Cloud.

"Cloud…I'm really glad…I get to talk to you one last time," smiled Jessie.

"Don't say that," said Cloud as he shook his head towards her and paying more interest on the ground then looking at her.

"It's all right," smiled Jessie before giving another groan of pain and fighting back her tears, "Just go help…Zack and Barret please…"

Jessie began speaking weakly and soon, her head fell onto Cloud's chest. Cloud placed his fingers on her neck, checking for her pulse. He could feel slipping it away and soon, he could feel nothing. Cloud looked down at her face as he saw a smile on her face and her eyes closed. It was almost like she was sleeping peacefully and Cloud couldn't help but give out a weak smile. He gently laid Jessie down and got back up, staring above him. They weren't too far and could still hear the constant gun firing Barret was causing. As Tifa got up, she noticed Cloud's smile for a short time before it disappeared. She walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her forehead against the top of his back, hugging him close to her.

"Cloud," mumbled Tifa softly, barely a whisper.

"Come on…They need our help," said Cloud as he placed his hands against on top of Tifa's and gently brushing them off of him.

Cloud started to walk and Tifa could watch him walking away. She raised her hand, trying to reach for him, but knew she was too far from him…or was it he that was too far from her? She shook her head, trying to get rid of the thoughts that were racing in her mind. There would be another time to think about those and quickly rushed towards Cloud, catching up to him.

As they continued moving up, they saw large amounts of SOLIDER bodies lying against the stairs motionless that lead up to the pillar. The moment they took that final step as they reached the top, there was a large sword swooping down at them. Tifa quickly hid behind Cloud as he took out his sword, blocking the surprise attack. Zack noticed his attack was stopped and saw a blonde spiky male on the other side of his sword and quickly put his sword behind him.

"Cloud," yelled Zack as he saw Cloud putting away his sword and quickly gave him a tight hug, lifting him up from the ground, "You're alive! Hallelujah!"

"Yeah, yeah! It's a real miracle! Now let me go! You're crushing me," yelled Cloud as he was having a hard time breathing.

"Sorry," laughed Zack as he put Cloud back down and letting go of him, "How did you survive?"

"I'll tell you another time. What's the situation," asked Cloud.

"So far so good...Barret and I have been holding up here for a while," explained Zack.

"Take cover," yelled Barret as he ran behind the computer structure that stood in the middle of the platform.

The three quickly hid behind where Barret was and saw a black helicopter firing at them. Barret crushed under his breath and soon noticed a man hoping off the helicopter and running straight towards the computer. The helicopter soon dashed away and the red haired man was typing quickly onto the keyboard. Tifa and Cloud quickly went up to his right side while Barret and Zack blocked him from the left.

"You're too late! Once I push this button…" *BEEP* "That's all folks! Mission accomplished," laughed the red haired male.

"Reno," yelled Zack.

"Zack? You're alive," asked Reno as he turned his head to the left seeing him, his tone shocked and filled with disbelief, "Can't be! You're supposed to be dead!"

"Looks like I'm back from the grave then! Disarm the bomb now Reno," yelled Zack as he removed his Buster Sword and aimed the tip of it towards him.

"Haha! Can't do that man," laughed Reno. He pulled up his sleeve and looked down his watch, lowering his sleeve and looking back at the four, "Listen. I sort want to live at the moment so I'll catch you guys later!"

Reno quickly turned around and ran straight into the rail, placing his foot on top and jumped down. The four quickly ran into the rail, wondering why he committed a suicidal jump until they saw the same black helicopter rising up from where Reno fell. The red haired man was giving a smile as he was holding onto a ladder that was hanging from the helicopter and a tall long black haired man appeared, standing in an open doorway staring at the four.

"Tseng," yelled Zack.

"Zack…I thought you died," said Tseng as he looked at the former 1st Class, his tone sounding emotionless, but Zack knew he could hear sadness behind it.

"Tseng! You got to disarm the bomb now," yelled Zack as he glared towards the Turk, "Hundreds of people will die! You're not destroying the slums! You're destroy the slums AND the plate above it!"

"You don't think I don't know that Zack," yelled Tseng before taking a deep breath to calm himself, "Listen. Even if I wanted to…only a Shinra executive could do it…"

"I know you have the code as well Tseng," yelled Zack as he slammed his fists against the rail, ignoring the pain, "You're blindly following orders like I have done! You can end this! I know you can!"

Tseng just looked away, avoiding eye contact with Zack. Barret just clenched his teeth and aimed his gun arm towards Tseng, but he quickly noticed this and raised his hand to stop him before he could fire at him..

"I wouldn't try that if I were you…You'll just end up hurting our special guest," said Tseng. He moved aside to show everyone a woman wearing a pink dress. Barret gave a confused look, but the three of them instantly recognized her. Cloud and Tifa called her name, but Zack's was the loudest of them all.

"AERITH!"

Aerith raised her head, staring at the man that had called out towards her. He raised his hand trying to reach for her and Aerith could only stare, speechless. It was Zack…HER Zack. She gave a light tear and a weak smile before yelling out his name and reaching her hand towards him. They were so close, but yet they were so far away.

"ZACK!"

"Damn you Tseng," yelled Zack as he glared towards the Turk, fighting back his tears, "I trusted you!"

"Tifa, don't worry! She's all right," yelled Aerith as she looked towards Tifa.

Tseng pushed Aerith back softly and Zack's blood began to boil. He clenched his teeth tightly and called out the Turks name, pointing his finger towards him. Tseng looked back at him and saw the hatred in his eyes. He never saw Zack like this before, this was the first time he ever saw angry, but he wasn't surprised because of the situation that was happening around him.

"Get one last good look of me Tseng," glared Zack, his voice calming down, but he still kept that hatred and angry tone, "Because this look is going to haunt you for the rest of your life. I'll make sure of it."

Tseng gave a weak smile that was barely noticeable and checked his watch. He turned his focused away from Zack and was facing what was left of AVALANCHE, "You don't really have much time you know. I hardly believe you'll survive this..."

And with that, the black helicopter flew away with Reno still hanging on the ladder. He gave a bright smile and a wave towards them as they set off before pulling himself up into the helicopter and closing the door behind him. All of a sudden, the whole area began to shake and pieces of the pillar were falling off. Zack was kneeling on the ground, slamming his fist onto the platform while Cloud placed a hand on his shoulder. Zack looked up to see the blonde male who was worried about him, but Zack just gave a weak smile, trying to hide his sadness and got back up on his two feet.

"Yo, we can use this wire to get out," yelled Barret as he nearby a wire and pointing towards it.

"All four of us? You sure," asked Zack as he couldn't believe it, though they had no choice, and time was running short.

All four of them quickly grabbed on, Barret grabbing hold of Tifa as he wrapped his gun-arm around her and holding onto the cable with his left hand while Cloud and Zack were holding onto it a few inches above them. Barret pushed himself off the rail and all four of them began swinging away. Zack turned his head slightly around to witness the destruction of the pillar before feeling another huge shake and everything going black. He had lost his vision and had a last moment thought before he felt himself landing on something hard and slipping into unconsciousness.

'_Aerith…I'm sorry…'_

**END OF: ON THE VERGE OF ASSAULT

* * *

**

_Done. Well, hoped you guys liked it. I tried to make it a little more dramatic between Zack and Tseng. Anyways, hope you will leave a review. My goal is to reach at least 20 reviews by the time I reach chapter 10, so hopefully some of you will nice enough to leave one. I'll accept any kind of review you know, signed up reviews or annoymous reviews, good or bad. That's the whole point of improving my story, at least in my opinion. Anyways, going to update soon if I can. Later!_


	9. OLD MEMORIES DIE HARD

Yay! Thank you for the reviews! You are all nice people :). I wanted it to be dramatic between Zack and Tseng since the two are friends…well former friends now. Anyways, if I continue getting reviews, I'll be able to reach my goal in no time or I might be able to reach it even before chapter ten! Enjoy the chapter! :)

* * *

**CHAPTER 08: OLD MEMORIES DIE HARD**

Tseng was standing by his office window, staring down at the destruction of Sector 7, still couldn't believe what had happened. HE destroyed Sector 7 when he could've stopped it and saved it from becoming like this, but he was ordered by Heidegger to set up the bomb and that the blame would be pointed towards AVALANCHE. He tried showing remorse, but he was a Turk and a Turk must always fulfill his or her duties by any means necessary, no matter the outcome. No mission is impossible for the Turks...that was the motto they have always used and still use today…but why did he still feel so uneasy?

"You're a monster. How could you," mumbled Aerith softly under her breath as she stood by Tseng's desk, paying a more interest on the ground and avoiding eye contact with him.

"You wouldn't understand Aerith," replied Tseng as he continued staring down his window, his tone calm.

"You're right…I wouldn't understand, but here you are standing by the window and admiring the view! You're not even showing any grief or sadness! You're just standing there emotionless," yelled Aerith as she glared at him, "You don't regret for what you have done? You don't regret for the lives you have taken?" She paused for a moment as Tseng turned his head to face her and letting her rage gain full control of her as she said her last words. "Do you even regret you KILLED Zack?"

Tseng walked up to her and slapped her across the face. Aerith had nearly lost her balance by the surprise slap and placed her hand on the cheek where he had hit her. Tseng then realized what he had just done and pulled his hand back down, avoiding looking at her. All of a sudden, that last moment of Zack appeared in his mind. He remembered Zack's finger pointing towards him, his voice filled with hatred and anger, and appearing in those Mako eyes of his.

_Get one last good look of me Tseng because this look is going to haunt you for the rest of your life. I'll make sure of it._

Tseng couldn't help it, but show a weak smile in his thoughts and chuckling softly to himself. Yes, he did get that last good look of Zack and yes, it was haunting him. He didn't mind though as he gladly accepted it as his punishment. He wasn't going to let that last memory of Zack be locked away in the back of his mind with all the others.

"Forgive me Aerith. I did not mean to hurt you like that," mumbled Tseng softly and focused back at her who was still staring at him with those eyes. Her eyes were so innocent, but he could see the shock in them after he had slapped her, the anger and hatred to him for the actions he had caused, and the sadness over Zack's death. He took a deep breath and spoke again. "But I'm a Turk and we do what we are told. No mission is impossible-"

Now it was Tseng's turn to get slapped in the face. Aerith swung her hand at him across his cheek which only made Tseng turn his head slightly. The force of her slap wasn't able to make him lose his balance, but of course it was still painful. He could see her fighting back at her tears and biting her lower lip as she glared at him.

"Don't you dare use your motto as an excuse," said Aerith as she glared at him.

"My apologies once again," mumbled Tseng before giving out a soft weak chuckle to himself.

Just then, two Shinra infantrymen walked into Tseng's office with their rifles hanging on their backs. Tseng didn't like the idea of Shinra soldiers walking into his office and only preferred his fellow Turks, but he knew what they were here for. They stood at attention and gave Tseng a salute before they spoke.

"Sir! We are here to pick up the package," explained one soldier.

"Will be taking her to Professor Hojo," explained the second soldier.

"Go ahead, but be careful with her," said Tseng as he sat down onto his chair.

The two infantrymen nodded and lead Aerith out of Tseng's office. Aerith gave one last glare towards him before she stepped out and the door closing behind her. Tseng gave a sigh and was lost in his thoughts. That look on Zack's face appeared in his mind again and as he thought of Aerith next, all he could was the anger in her eyes. He thought of her like a delicate flower, but to those who were foolish enough to try and pick her up would feel the thorns that protected around her. He was one of those fools that tried to do so, but then he thought of Zack picking her up with no trouble.

'_You affected Aerith, Zack. You changed her life and she now has some of your attributes,'_ thought Tseng as he stared up at the ceiling with past memories pouring down on him.

x*x*x

"By the way, Tseng…I'm annoyed with you too," said Zack as he had his back turned to the Turk with his arms crossed over his chest, "You were spying on Aerith again, weren't you?

_Sorry Zack…I was._

"Silent treatment again," asked Zack as he watched the Turk walking away from the entrance of the church.

"If you want to go play with Aerith, you're welcome to do so," said Tseng as he turned his head slightly behind him to face Zack, "I'm just fulfilling my duties as a Turk."

"Hey! I'm not "playing" with Aerith! I'm fulfilling MY duties as SOLIDER to protect," yelled Zack as he raised his fist towards Tseng.

Just then, a small boy ran up towards Zack, jumping excitedly and trying to catch Zack's attention. Both males focused on him as the small boy smiled at Zack, "Oh, Mister SOLIDER! I heard you're making a flower wagon!" Zack took a step back and Tseng just stood while the boy continued. "I'll help you make it really fancy so you can surprise Aerith!"

Tseng turned his back once more and began walking away. Zack looked at the Turk, waving his hands at him, telling him it wasn't like that and that he was protecting her. Of course, Tseng couldn't help but smile and laughing at Zack, of course made sure he wouldn't notice him.

_It wasn't what I thought huh, Zack? You were trying to protect Aerith by building her a flower wagon? You were always bad at lying… _

* * *

Turks and Shinra scientists were all over the Mt. Nibel Mako Reactor, examining the area and the damages Sephiroth had caused. They had transferred Jenova's remains into a container and decided to transfer her to Shinra HQ in the science department. Professor Hojo stood by the stairs that lead up into Jenova's room and walked up to Zack's body that was being carried away.

"This one…yes…take him down to Shinra Mansion's basement," grinned Hojo as he saw the body still alive and intact. As the scientists took Zack's body away, Hojo started chuckling to himself, pushing his glasses upward as he stared into the doorway that lead to Jenova's room, "Sephiroth…you've surely done it this time." He turned his head to see Tseng walking towards him and focused his attention away from him. "Oh, it's you. Is Mr. Veld doing well?"

"Yes," replied Tseng.

"I see. How's the disposal of the village going?"

"We have already begun the operation. But, is there really a need to go that far?"

"Hah! You're still young," laughed Hojo as his back was still facing him, "Your opinion and such doesn't matter at all. Hurry up with the disposal." Tseng lowered his head, but before he could leave, he noticed Hojo walked towards a blonde male with serious stab wounds on him and placed a smile as he was pleased what he saw. "Hmmm…just wait a second…This guy finished him, huh? Interesting…It really is interesting! I can use him as a new sample."

Tseng clenched his fist and walked away, leaving Hojo alone and contacted his fellow Turks to aid him.

_Sorry Zack. I wasn't able to save you or your friend from Hojo. There was nothing I could do. I wanted to punch Hojo, but you knew I couldn't do that…_

* * *

[Five Years Later...]

**_72 hours ago…_**

**_We, the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department, alias Turks, were ordered to pursue the samples that have escape out of Shinra's facility._**

**_The samples that escape were two fully grown males. One of them is an expert in combat, who was once ranked as a SOLIDER 1st Class._**

**_…_**

Tseng sighed and stared at his report, rereading on what he wrote before he got up and stood by his office window, staring outside. He couldn't believe it has been five years since Sephiroth had caused the Nibelheim incident and also when Zack was taken away to be experimented on by Hojo. He heard that Zack had managed to break free from the Shinra Mansion and had taken Cloud Strife with him, a former Shinra grunt and also another male that was experimented on by Hojo. He walked back to his desk and pulled out a book from his drawer, opening it and looking through the reports that happened on that fateful day.

_If that incident from five years ago never existed, it is more likely that their fate wouldn't have been changed. Only if that man never existed…_

_The ultimate solider that was once known as a hero…_

_Sephiroth…_

"Target's confirmed! Target's confirmed! Currently at point 137! Repeating: Currently at point 137!"

Tseng turned his attention at his radio that was broadcasting the report on the targets. He heard the Shinra soldiers, yelling at one another, to surround the two males before they could escape. He then heard a shower of bullets firing from the radio next, but it wasn't too long however, until he heard the voice again, this time sounding desperate.

"We're in each other's line of fire! We're shooting each other! Engage the situation with close combat weapons!"

_Big mistake…_

"He's ripping us apart! Damn! H-He's strong! Is this the strength of a SOLIDER? …Hey! He is getting away! P-Pursue him!"

_The strength of a SOLIDER…tell me, does your power come from the Jenova cells? Does it truly come from your honors and dreams you so highly speak of? Or perhaps is it something else…_

_SOLIDER 1st Class, Zack Fair?_

Tseng heard his cell phone ringing and quickly picked it up. He placed it against his ear and could hear Rude's voice on the other end of it. They had found Zack on a bridge and was surrounded by Shinra grunts on motorcycles and had their spotlight focused on him.

"Target sighted. Our order is to seize or terminate the targets, but…"

"Bring them back in a living state as possible as you can," replied Tseng.

"Roger," answered Rude.

Tseng then heard Gun on the line with Rude, trying to negotiate with him, "Surrender quietly! If you do, we will assure you your life."

No response, but Gun and Rude had explained to Tseng that Zack was on the move again, trying to escape. It wasn't too long that he heard from Rude again, saying that Zack had acquired a bike and that he and Gun were pursuing them on air. Zack though had gotten away by escaping into the tunnels and that they had lost them. Rude explained he was going to use the underground tunnels to enter Midgar. Tseng ordered him to set up posts in the outskirts of Midgar and hung up his phone.

_Damn you Zack. You should have taken that offer when you had the chance…_

He stared at a small black box that was sitting on top of his desk with a white tape around it saying: Sealed. Inside the box were eighty-eight letters all addressed to Zack from Aerith and were still sealed. He wasn't the type of person to snoop through someone's mail, especially if it was between Zack and Aerith. He gave a sigh and got up from his desk, heading out and heading straight to the roof of the building. Cissnei was going to leave and go after Zack herself, but before she left, she also wanted to notify her something important. As he finally was outside on the roof, he saw the woman walking towards a black helicopter ready to take off.

"Cissnei," yelled Tseng as he called out towards her. The woman turned around to see her leader walking towards her and stopping in his tracks, "The army is mobilizing. Find the targets before they do."

"Understood. The army won't be as subtle," said Cissnei as she turned her back and began walking towards the helicopter.

"I want them alive you hear me," yelled Tseng. Cissnei froze in place, her back facing him, and lowered her head as she heard Tseng continuing, "You're going to save Zack's life."

Cissnei turned around, brushing her hair and smiling towards him, "Of course! I haven't even told him my real name…"

Cissnei went back towards her helicopter and boarded herself inside it. The helicopter soon started lifting itself up into the air and flying away into the air towards Zack's coordinates. Tseng watched as the helicopter disappeared out of sight and whispered softly to him.

"Help them Cissnei. I have letters for Zack. Eighty-eight of them…"

_They took away your freedom before and tried to do it again…but I was trying to save it, wasn't I? No. I know I was trying my best to save your freedom and your life…_

* * *

Then it came…that devastated day. Reno, Rude, Cissnei, and all the other Turks had failed on retrieving the two targets. The Shinra Army had gotten to him first and Zack was gunned down. There was no mission that was impossible for the Turks and every mission they carried out was a success. This was the first mission they had ever failed. Reno and Rude had gotten into the battlefield and described the damage Zack had done, but explained that three soldiers overwhelmed him and shot him to death, but they weren't able to find Cloud anywhere. Cissnei had heard the news and had left the Turks, deciding there was no longer a reason to be part of it. Tseng grabbed the small black box that was on top of his desk and threw it into the fire place, watching it burn by the flames that scorched it. He walked towards his window and saw that it was raining hard. A minute ago it was a bright and sunny day…then it just started to rain heavily. He clenched his teeth tightly and gave a loud angry roar, stomping to his desk and sweeping the things off of it to the floor. He sat on his chair, holding his head as he still couldn't believe what just happened…refusing to believe what had just happened.

_You died…and left Aerith. You left her unprotected Zack. Why did you enter her life? Why did you leave her life? What was I suppose to do?_

x*x*x

'_Ever since then, I blocked out all my memories I had of you. I know it was harsh to do, but I couldn't let you affect my life and work anymore. And then all of a sudden, I see you again at the pillar. I couldn't believe it. I thought I was dreaming, but you was standing there. I don't know how you survived and I wish you stayed dead so you wouldn't see me destroy the pillar…so you wouldn't see me taking Aerith away from you,' _thought Tseng sadly to himself.

And then Zack's face appeared in his mind again, that haunting look on his face as he glared towards him. Tseng may have blocked all those memories of Zack, but he wasn't going to block off this last memory he had with him. He was going to hold onto it, cherish it, and accept it. That hatred on Zack's face would constantly remind him and represent all the sins he has committed from the past to the present. He stared at the fire place where he had destroyed all of Zack's letters and gave a weak smile. He regretted he ever burnt them, but then he didn't want to return them to Aerith or keep them, thinking it was best to destroy the letters. It was a shame Zack was never going to know what she had wrote to him. He got back up and stared out his window one last time at the destruction of Sector 7. Tseng took a deep breath as he turned around and heading straight out of his office room.

"Goodnight Zack Fair…I promise I'll try to protect Aerith and make sure no harm comes to her," whispered Tseng to himself as he closed the door behind him.

**END OF: OLD MEMORIES DIE HARD**

* * *

Done. A few scenes from Crisis Core, but mostly from Last Order. I know Last Order isn't part of the actual Final Fantasy VII story, but I always believed it should be. I tried to mix it with Crisis Core so hopefully it went well. Chapter eight was mostly about Tseng and his point of view on the events that occurred around him, affecting his feelings as well. I included Gun as well into the story, but I don't know if I should add the other Turks from Before Crisis. I don't really know much about Before Crisis since it was released only to Japan and I only know some of the plot from the final fantasy wiki website**. **I guess I just have to wait and see how things go later on in the future of the story. Anyways, leave a review folks and I'll update the next chapter as soon as possible!


	10. GOLDEN SHINY WIRE OF HOPE

The following story is merely fan-made by my imagination. Final Fantasy VII and anything related is owned by Squaresoft (now Square-enix). Please support the official release!

Yay! I got over 20 reviews! Thanks folks! From this point on I'm just going to be happy with at least one review per chapter. At least I know there are some people who are interested in my story and adding it to their favorites. I promise I'll try my best to make it entertaining for you all and hope you will continue to like it. Yes, I know about the constant errors I keep making and it sucks. I'm really horrible when it comes to proofreading and editing. I can never notice the tiny mistakes or I'm blind enough not to see the HUGE mistakes in my chapter(s). I'm very sorry everyone. I need to go back to English class again *sighs* ….Anyways, I still hope you all will enjoy the next chapter!

* * *

**CHAPTER 09: GOLDEN SHINY WIRE OF HOPE**

Everything was dark and it felt so familiar to him, like he was once trapped in this endless void of darkness before. His eyes were opened but he didn't know if he was looking up, down, straight, left, or right. He was lost and alone as there wasn't a soul around except his own. How long had he been here? Weeks? Days? Hours? Minutes? …Seconds? Maybe he finally did die and was being pulled back into the abyss where he belonged. He closed his eyes, seeing only darkness again and gave a weak sigh.

'_Aerith…I'm sorry…'_

_You're pathetic and always will be._

'_Huh? Who said that! Who are you!'_

_Your end will come. It has begun to move._

'_What has?'_

_Wake up!_

He then felt his shoulder tugging on his own and wondered what was going on. It was like someone was trying to push him. He then a heard a voice in his head, sounding soft and weak at first. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't tell who it belonged to. Then the voice got louder and louder, calling out a name. His name.

"Zack! Zack! Wake up! Wake up!"

Zack's eyes shot wide open and he could see a blonde male kneeling down next to him, shoving his shoulder as he tried to wake him. He looked up to see him smiling weakly, seeming happy to know he was awake. Zack closed his eyes again and slowly lifted himself up from the ground, groaning in pain and started coughing as he tried to inhale oxygen into his lungs. He got up on his feet, only to crash back down to the ground and using his hands to give him support while he stretched his legs out in front of him. He looked back at the blonde who was still next to him smiling weakly at him.

"Cloud? What happened?" asked Zack blinking his eyes as he tried to regain his vision.

"…Sector 7," mumbled Cloud softly as he focused his attention to the ground, his smile instantly disappearing.

"Sector…7?" asked Zack as he repeated what Cloud had just said.

Then it hit him, like lightning striking the back of his brain. He quickly got up on his two feet to witness the destruction around him. The playground was completely destroyed, burnt metal all over the place, the swing set smashed into pieces, the monster structure that had its tongue as a slide was split into half…everything was either gone or destroyed from the destruction of the pillar.

He looked at the entrance in front of him, or what was left of it, that lead to Sector 7, to see rubble blocking it. Barret was near the destructed zone, giving out a loud scream of anger, hatred, sadness, pain, every possible emotion Zack could come up with as he saw him. Tifa was next to him, trying to comfort him as she possibly can, but it seemed she was making little or no progress.

"Marlene! MARLENE!" yelled Barret as slammed his right hand against the ground, "MAR-LE-NE!"

"Barret…are you all right?" asked Zack as he walked up towards Barret, sounding worried.

"Do I look all right? I lost Marlene! My precious little girl!" snapped Barret as he got up from the ground, lifting Zack up and holding onto his collar, trying to fight back his tears, "I lost Biggs! I lost Jessie! I lost Wedge! So let me ask you again, do I look all right?"

"Barret put him down now," yelled Tifa as she placed her hand on the man's buff shoulder.

Barret clenched his teeth and dropped Zack on the ground, watching him rubbing his neck as he was coughing up for air. Cloud kneeled down next to him and Barret just aimed his gun-arm towards the wreckage that lead to Sector 7, firing a shower of bullets at it as he gave out a large roar. The only time he stopped firing was until he ran out of bullets, but after that he walked towards the rubble and started punching it in fury.

"Goddamn it! Dammit! DAMMIT ALL TO HELL!" yelled Barret as he fell down to the ground, finally releasing his tears as he was no longer able to hold them back, "What the hell's it all for! ARGGHHHHH!"

"Hey, Barret!" yelled Cloud and Zack at the same time as the two of them got up from the ground.

"Barret," mumbled Tifa she looked at the ground, avoiding looking at her leader in the state he was in.

"ARGGHHHH!" cried Barret as he slammed his forehead on the ground, "I lost Marlene…"

"Barret…listen to me. Please stop," whispered Tifa softly as she walked up towards Barret, wrapping her arms around him as she tried to give him comfort, "I think Marlene is safe…"

"Huh?" asked Barret in confusion, not believing what he had heard.

"I think Marlene is safe," replied Tifa again, making sure he heard her, "Right before they took Aerith, she said, 'Don't worry, she's all right.' She was probably talking about Marlene."

'_Tseng…how could you? I trusted you,'_ thought Zack as he clenched his two hands into a fist angrily.

"R, really?" asked Barret as he got up from the ground and looked at Tifa as she backed away from him, his tears gone.

"But…Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie," mumbled Tifa softly as she stared back at the ground.

"All three of them died," mumbled Cloud next.

"Think I don't know that?" whispered Barret as stared back at the destruction, "We all fought together…I don't wanna think of them as dead!"

"What about the other people in Sector 7?" asked Zack.

"This is all screwed up! They destroyed an entire village just to get us! They killed so many people," mumbled Barret.

"…are you saying it's our fault?" asked Tifa as she turned her back towards Barret and looked up at the sky, well the plate above them that covered the sky, "Is it because of AVALANCHE, innocent people lost their lives?"

"No, Tifa!" yelled Barret as he looked at Tifa with her back facing him, "That ain't it! Hell no! It ain't us! It's the damn Shinra! It's never been nobody, but Shinra! They're evil and destroyin' our planet just to…just to build their power and fill their damn pockets with gold! If we don't get rid of them, they're gonna kill this planet! Our fight ain't never gonna be over until we get rid of them!"

Zack lowered his head and turned his back on the gang, slowly walking away from them. Barret's speech had gotten into his head and was affecting him. He had been a loyal SOLIDER to Shinra during his years, followed orders with no questions asked, and also praised about Shinra on the good they do. After being with Barret and the others, he couldn't believe this was happening. How come he had never saw this? Why is it just now he can start thinking more clearly now than before?

_We all should be grateful for what Shinra has done to us!_

_Shinra always does what is best for Midgar, haha!_

_I'm glad I work for Shinra._

_Shinra…_

'_Shut up…just shut up,'_ thought Zack to himself, shaking his head as he didn't want to hear anymore, _'I can't believe I was such a sucker to fall for something like that...'_

"Cloud?" asked Barret as he looked towards the blonde, "Can you take me to Marlene?"

"Of course. I know where Aerith lives and a good chance where she had might have taken her," said Cloud as he nodded.

"You do?" asked Zack as gave out a confused look on his face.

"Yeah. She saved my life," smiled Cloud weakly.

'_Aerith…you really are an angel,'_ smiled Zack in his thoughts.

* * *

"How could I have forgotten where she had lived," groaned Zack as he examined his surroundings. Aerith's house was the only place to ever have a field of flowers, growing around the area and having a waterfall at the back. Barret and Tifa stood in awe, their mouths wide opened as they saw how beautiful the place was.

"This is a slum house?" asked Barret in amazement, "No way! This place is too great to be one!"

"You said it," said Tifa as she examined the flowers.

"The only place in the slums…no wait…the only place in MIDGAR to have something like this," laughed Zack softly, "Aerith is the type of girl to have a green thumb to grow flowers in this kind of area…I honestly don't know how I have forgotten this place…"

As Cloud had knocked the door to Aerith's home, Elmyra answered and covered her opened mouth as she saw the blonde male standing outside in front of her. She gave a huge tight hug to see him alive.

"Cloud! I heard the news about Sector 7! I was worried about you," smiled Elmyra.

"I'm fine Ms. Elmyra," replied Cloud as he returned the hug.

Elmyra looked over his back to see Barret and Tifa standing by the doorway, waving hello to her and looked back at Cloud, "Friends?"

"Yes. Is it all right if we come in," asked Cloud.

"Not at all," smiled Elmyra.

As Cloud and the two followed behind him, Elmyra gave out a gasp. There that stood in the doorway with the huge sword on his back, the long spiky black hair, the x-shape scar on his left cheek, and his eyes glowing just like Cloud's was the man she thought she would never see again. Zack gave out a nervous smile and scratched the back of his head as he saw the woman staring at him in shock.

"Hello Mrs. Gainsborough," said Zack sheepishly, "Sorry I haven't been around lately for Aerith…"

"You," glared Elmyra as she walked up towards Zack and slapping him across the face. Barret, Tifa, and Cloud just stood there in shock as they couldn't believe what they had just witnessed. Elmyra paid no attention towards them and continued her outburst towards Zack, "Zack Fair! Do you realize how much pain you put my daughter through?"

"Mrs. Gainsborough…I'm really sorry," said Zack as he was rubbing his cheek where she had slapped him, only to get another slap from her on the other cheek.

"Don't you dare say sorry to me young man," yelled Elmyra, "Five years you made my daughter suffer! Five years she continued waiting for you and kept writing letters to you, hoping you would respond back to her!"

"I know what I have done and I know it was wrong!" yelled Zack back. He lowered his head and focused his attention towards the floor, avoiding her gaze at him and his voice became soft, "A lot has happened…a lot that I can't explain."

"Aerith was beginning to think you just abandoned her and went after some other woman," glared Elmyra, her tone not dropping.

"NEVER!" yelled Zack, his voice bursting loudly and making everyone in the room jump because they had never heard Zack's voice like this before. He placed his hands on Mrs. Gainsborough's shoulders, staring at her with those glowing eyes of his, "I would never abandon her! I would rather die than do that to Aerith!"

"Zack," whispered Elmyra softly as she continued looking at him.

"I love her so much! I love her with all my heart and soul! I would do anything to be with her!" yelled Zack, "I know I made her suffer and I know the pain I had caused! But please! It's hard to explain, the pain that I have been through…but because of Aerith, it's the very reason why I'm still alive and still standing!"

Elmyra didn't understand half of what Zack was saying, but it was just the first half she only needed. As Zack lowered his hands down off of her shoulder, Elmyra focused her attention towards the floor, "I'm sorry Zack."

"Don't be. You have every right to be upset," whispered Zack weakly.

'_You love Aerith, Zack?'_ thought Cloud in his mind.

_My first boyfriend…he was in SOLIDER._

Cloud lowered his head as he remembered that scene back in the playground with Aerith and also that 'certain' event before Tifa was being taken to Don Corneo's place. He also remembered the 'date' the two made at the church and the last thing he wanted to do was to tell Zack he was going out with his girlfriend. He hoped maybe Aerith had forgotten as she saw Zack back in the pillar…then again, she probably believes they all died during the destruction.

"Mrs. Gainsborough…Shinra has her," mumbled Zack.

"I know, they took her from here," replied Elmyra, surprisingly calm. Everyone was caught off guard by her expression, expecting a different reaction.

"They were here," asked Cloud in confusion.

"That's what Aerith wanted," said Elmyra.

"Why is Shinra after Aerith," asked Cloud. Stupid question on the face of the planet and he regretted he asked such a thing.

"Aerith is an Ancient. The sole survivor," explained Elmyra. Just as Elmyra had said that, Zack lowered his head as he remembered that moment he had with Cissnei back in Costa del Sol when he was put in vacation.

_x*x*x_

"_Calling Aerith?"smiled Cissnei._

"_How do you know? Am I being watched?"yelled Zack, sounding frustrated at the idea that he possibly was being spied on._

"_No, she's the one being watched," replied Cissnei._

"_Huh?"asked Zack in confusion._

"_That girl is an Ancient. The only one left in the world. You didn't know?" asked Cissnei, sounding surprised that Zack never knew that._

"_She…never said anything," mumbled Zack softly. He stared at the beach in front of him, giving out a small smile, "The only one left in the world, huh? She really is a one of a kind…"_

_x*x*x  
_

"Aren't you her mother?" asked Barret as he walked up towards Elmyra in confusion.

"I'm not her real mother," said Elmyra as she shook her head, "It must have been 15 years ago…during the war. My husband was sent to the front. Some far away placed called Wutai."

'_I know that war too well. I was part of it,'_ thought Zack.

"One day, I went to the station because I got a letter saying he was coming home on leave," said Elmyra as she told her story, "My husband never came back. I kept on wondering if something happened to him, but I kept thinking his leave was probably just canceled. I went to the station everyday, hoping to see him there. It wasn't until one day, I saw a woman lying on the steps at the train station with her daughter next to her, crying helplessly. I went to her to help out in whatever way I could, but then I heard her last words saying, 'Please take Aerith somewhere safe.' My husband never came back and I had no child, so I decided to take her home with me so she wouldn't be lonely…I wouldn't be lonely." Elmyra gave out a warm smile and looked back towards the four, all of them inching closer to her as they seemed very interested and anxious to know more, giving out another smile as she continued, "Aerith and I became close very quickly and that child loved to talk. She used to talk to me about everything. She told me she escaped from some kind of research laboratory somewhere and that her mother had already returned to the planet, so she wasn't lonely…and many other things."

"Returned to the planet?" asked Barret in confusion.

"I didn't know what she meant," answered Elmyra, "I asked if she meant a star in the sky, but she said it was this planet. She was such a mysterious child in many ways."

'_Mysterious, caring, fearless, selfless, not to mention stubborn,'_ thought Zack and laughing softly to himself in his mind at that last part of his sentence.

"Then one day, she said the strangest thing to me," said Elmyra as she went back into her story, "She said, 'Please don't cry.' She just blurted it out all of a sudden and when I asked her if something happened, she replied, 'Someone dear to you has just died. His spirit wanted to come and see you, but he already returned to the planet.' When I finally knew what she meant at that time, I didn't believe her. However, several days later…I received a notice saying my husband died….and well that was it. A lot has happened, but we were happy. It wasn't until Shinra came over to my house back then, asking for Aerith to come with them. They said she would lead them to a land of supreme happiness because she was an Ancient, but Aerith denied it and refused to go. Of course I knew about it and her mysterious powers and she tried so hard to hide it, so I acted as though I never noticed."

"It's amazing how she's avoided the Shinra for all these years," said Cloud as she scratched his finger against his head.

"Obviously Shinra needed her and wouldn't dare put any harm to her," mumbled Zack.

"But why now," asked Tifa.

"She brought a little girl here with her," said Elmyra, "I suppose when she got here, Tseng found them and the only way to make sure they would leave the little girl alone was if she went with them for her safety."

"Marlene!" yelled Barret as he jumped in front of Elmyra, quickly bowing his head down to Mrs. Gainsborough and speaking in a soft quiet tone, "Marlene is my daughter! I'm…really…sorry…Aerith got caught because of her, no. Because of ME."

"You're her father?" gasped Elmyra in shock, covering her mouth with her hand, "How in the world could you ever leave a child alone like that?"

"Please…don't start with that," mumbled Barret sadly, "I think about it all the time. I always think about my little Marlene. I always wonder what would happen to Marlene, if I…" He sighed and raised his head back up to look at Elmyra. "You gotta understand somethin'…I don't have an answer to that. I wanna be with Marlene…I do, but I gotta fight. If I don't…this planet's gonna die so I gotta keep on fighting and I want Marlene to have a safe and bright future. I always worry about her and I really just wanna be with her…always. See? I'm goin' in circles, now."

"…I think I understand what you're saying," said Elmyra as she nodded and pointed towards the stairs behind her for Barret, "She's asleep upstairs in the bedroom."

Barret nodded and headed towards the stairs, transcending up and disappearing to the second floor. Zack turned around and went outside as he left the living room. Tifa gave a confused look as she saw him and went to follow him, but Cloud stopped her, shaking his head towards her. Tifa nodded softly to him and watched Cloud as he left the room and headed outside towards Zack. As Cloud stepped out, he saw Zack laying himself against the rail and staring at the plate above him.

"Zack?" asked Cloud, sounding worried.

"Five years I've been away from here…five years I've left Aerith alone and unprotected," said Zack.

"So you're going after Aerith, right?" said another voice. Zack and Cloud turned around to see Elmyra standing by her door, staring at the two males.

"Yes," replied Zack, "I'm going to make things right. I'm going to save her…I'm not going to leave her alone anymore."

"Does she know you're alive?" asked Elmyra.

"She saw me back the pillar before the destruction of Sector 7, though I have a feeling she thinks I'm dead," answered Zack.

"I'm sure she doesn't think like that," said Elmyra shaking her head, "I know she means a lot to you Zack and I also know you mean a lot to Aerith."

"Mrs. Gainsborough," said Zack softly.

Just then, Elmyra walked up towards him, giving him a nice warm hug and patting his back gently, "You're a good boy Zack. You are the greatest man that entered her life and also maybe the worst."

"Haha, no argument there," laughed Zack softly as he returned the hug. The two broke out of their hug and Zack lowered his head down, "I'm going to bring her back."

"I know you will. I trust you," smiled Elmyra.

"Cloud. I'm going to be heading to Shinra HQ to get her back," said Zack as he focused his attention towards the blonde.

"Not alone you won't!" yelled Cloud.

"Cloud I need to do this. I'm going to Shinra HQ and settle things there once and for all. I'm going to break my bonds with them one way or another," replied Zack.

"Have you forgotten that I used to work under Shinra as well?" asked Cloud, "I want to break my ties with them too. Besides, Aerith saved my life. The least I can do is help you get her back."

"Count me in as well," said Barret as he walked outside towards the group.

"Barret," mumbled Zack.

"Aerith saved my precious baby. I want to return the favor by saving your precious baby," grinned Barret.

"Shut up," laughed Zack and then nodded towards him, "Fine. You can come along."

"I'm not letting you three have a boys' night out," grinned Tifa as she walked out of the house with her arms crossed, "I'm coming with you."

"We're going right into Shinra Headquarters," said Cloud, "It's too dangerous Tifa."

"I know," smiled Tifa as she walked towards Cloud, "I also know that whenever I'm in a pinch, my golden knight will come and save me…"

Cloud's face turned bright red, only to get a giggle response from Tifa, a laugh from Barret, and a grin from Zack as he placed his arm around his shoulder, softly punching his cheek playfully while teasing him.

Barret turned his attention towards Elmyra and bowed his head, "Sorry. I'm really sorry for doing this to you, but can you take care of Marlene a bit longer?"

"Yes, I don't mind," smiled Elmyra, "Just promise me that you'll come back to her. Don't get yourself killed."

Barret smiled warmly towards the woman and nodded towards her, "Thank you and I won't. This place is dangerous now so I suggest you go somewhere else for safety."

Elmyra nodded and went back into her house. Before she closed the door, she told the four 'Good luck' and made each of them promise to her that they will come back alive, mostly towards Zack. As Elmyra was out of the group, the four looked at each to come with a plan.

"First things first. How do we get to Shinra HQ?" asked Tifa.

"There ain't no train that goes up there anymore," said Barret.

"Why don't we stop by at Wall Market? I'm sure will find something there," said Cloud, shrugging his shoulders.

Everyone nodded in agreement and went off. Of course, before they heading out, they made sure to prepare themselves first. They stopped by a nearby trailer in the neighborhood, buying extra ammo for Cloud's rifle and Barret's gun-arm, potions, and other useful things they would possibly need. As they got what they needed, the four headed off to Wall Market. As they finally reached their destination, they stopped by more stores to buy more items and equipment. They used whatever money they had left to buy weapon upgrades, though Zack of course didn't need anything. He was well prepared and all he needed was the Buster Sword that was resting against his back. Once they were done, they overheard a group of children running and saw them running together in a certain direction, almost like at the back of Wall Market where Don Corneo's mansion was. As they reached where the children were, they saw a huge tall black wall, covered with countless graffiti all over it, and a wire hanging down that reached towards the ground. A little girl noticed the four and walked up towards them.

"You climbing the wire," asked the little girl. The only response was a nod from the four. "Go ahead. It leads to the Upper World. Everyone sure is climbing it…Brrr, it's too scary for me."

"Awright," laughed Barret.

"There's no way we can do this," said Cloud shaking his head in disbelief.

"There IS a way! Look! What's that look like," asked Barret as he pointed to the wire with his good hand.

"Looks like a normal wire to me," laughed Zack.

"Oh yeah? Well to me it looks like a golden shiny wire of hope!" yelled Barret.

"If you say so. Then again, you're right. This is the only way to save Aerith," smiled Zack. He turned his attention towards Tifa and nodded to her, "All right Tifa. You go first, then Cloud, then Barret, and last will be me."

"Excuse me," yelled Tifa, her face blushing red, along with Cloud.

"What? What's the big deal," asked Zack.

"Um…Zack," whispered Cloud softly.

Zack raised an eyebrow and saw Cloud pointing his finger towards her. Zack looked towards Tifa and saw her clutching her hand to her skirt in embarrassment and in anger as she glared towards him. It took Zack well over a minute to figure out what she meant, his face turning red while Barret laughed loudly at him.

"Tifa! Why did you even wear an outfit like that anyways in the first place?" snapped Zack.

"Why do you even care?" yelled Tifa back.

"Argh! Well, at least be grateful it's Cloud that I suggested be behind you," said Zack.

"EXCUSE ME," yelled Tifa and Cloud at the same time, their faces burning even more red while Barret just kept on laughing.

* * *

The four had started their journey towards the upper world. After a few smack in the faces by Tifa and a huge argument, Zack agreed to take the lead, then Cloud, then Barret, and Tifa being last. It was a long and tiring climb; jumping over certain obstacles and climbing on wrecked trains that were barely hanging that could make them fall to their timely death to the ground. It wasn't too long, however, until they reached Shinra HQ, towering above them like some kind of god that stood in the center of Midgar. Cloud and Zack slowly walked towards the building, clutching their hands tightly on the hilt of their swords. Tifa was rubbing her wrists, itching to fight while Barret examined his gun-arm, ready to go trigger happy.

"Welcome home Zack," said Cloud softly, not looking away from the Shinra building that stood in front of them.

"Welcome home Cloud," replied Zack, doing the same thing what Cloud was doing.

"You think they have a welcoming party for you two?" asked Tifa with a smile on her face as she looked at the two males.

"I hope so," replied Cloud.

"Are guests welcomed to your party?" asked Barret, showing a huge grin.

"Of course. The more the merrier I say," laughed Zack, "I'm hoping to throw one hell of a party tonight."

'_Don't worry Aerith. I know this is too much to ask, but just wait a little while longer. I'm on my way…and this time, I'm not going to leave you. Not anymore.'_

**END OF: GOLDEN SHINY WIRE OF HOPE

* * *

**

Finally done. Sorry if it took too long to update. Got some business I had to take care of first. I'm not going to add Kunsel in the story since Irish-Brigid is handling that. Anyways, hope you will leave a review. Any kind of review is welcome, love, hate, criticism, joy, etc. etc. A review is a review. Thanks and buh bye for now!


	11. INFILTRATING SHINRA TOWER

The following story is merely fan-made by my imagination. Final Fantasy VII and anything related is owned by Squaresoft (now Square-enix). Please support the official release!

Okay folks, here is the next chapter! Sorry for the long wait, I had exams and I had to take care of my dog because she is very sick. I was also thinking about having the team sneak inside, but so far I don't think I ever saw them busting through the front door, so I thought it would be interesting and fun to see them try it. :D Also, I've been getting a request to add Cissnei in the story and I haven't decided yet. Just please give me a little more time okay? I should give you an answer in the next chapter or near the future, so bear with me please? Anyways, I'll stop talking and let you enjoy reading!

* * *

**CHAPTER 010: INFILTRATING SHINRA TOWER**

"Excuse me! If you don't have an appointment, you'll just have to leave," said the receptionist as she heard the bell ringing at the front entrance while she was organizing some papers. As she looked up to focus on the unexpected visitors, she gave out a gasp and covered her mouth.

"Don't need no appointment…This is a 'mergency!" yelled Barret as loudly as he could, getting a few people to turn their heads towards him and the others next to him. Just then, he aimed his gun arm into the air, firing rapidly, and making the employees scream in fear as they covered their ears from the loud noise. After a few shots in the air, he stopped and continued, "Anyone who doesn't wanna get their face bashed in better git outta the way!"

"AVANLANCHE!" cried the civilians as they started running for their lives.

The alarm started ringing and large groups of Shinra troops appeared on the second floor above them and on the first floor with AVALANCHE. The gang quickly split apart, ducking for cover as a shower of bullets was firing towards them. Zack and Barret were hiding on the left side while Cloud and Tifa were together on the right, trying to protect themselves. Barret aimed his gun arm towards the troops and started firing while Cloud was doing the same thing as he pulled out his rifle and returning fire.

"You think maybe we should have sneaked our way in?" asked Zack as he tried to speak as loudly as possible over the shower of bullets.

"You think?" asked Tifa as she yelled back towards Zack in annoyance.

"So what are we suppose to do now Zack?" yelled Cloud as he took cover to reload his rifle.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" replied Zack as he tapped his head with his fist, trying to think of a plan. He then snapped his fingers as he finally thought of something, "All right! It's a little dangerous, but if we do this right, we should be able to fight back!"

"What is it?" yelled Barret as he was firing towards the Shinra troops.

"Split up and charge!" yelled Zack in excitement. Tifa and Barret gave the ex-SOLDIER a terrified look on their faces while Cloud just smacked his face with his hand in disbelief. Zack gave a pouting face and sighed, "Just trust me on this! If we just stay where we are, eventually will be overwhelmed! If we just charge together as a group, we'll all be shot to death! So what's our only solution? We split up! Tifa will come in from the right while I come in from the left! Barret and Cloud will then give us cover and once Tifa and I reach close range combat, BOOM! We got them right where we want them!"

"I hope you're right on this Zack," mumbled Cloud.

"It's the only plan we got!" yelled Zack, "On the count of three, we do this! Ready?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, but still felt uneasy on his plan. Though he was right, sooner or later they were going to be overwhelmed and they had to quickly act ahead.

"One…"

"Two…"

Barret and Cloud took deep breaths as they clutched tightly to their weapons while Tifa sighed and shook her head, not liking one bit of this. Though there was no point in arguing and she positioned herself to get ready for an all out sprint. Lucky for them, the Shinra troops had stopped firing, but were slowly walking towards the entrance where the gang was. It was either now or never…

"THREE!"

As Zack and Tifa dashed off from both sides, Barret and Cloud drew out their weapons and began firing to give their teammates cover. Zack drew out his Buster Sword and took out a couple of soldiers with one swing while Tifa pummeled each troop one by one, knocking them down with her fists and kicks. A few troops screamed in pain as her fist smashed through their helmets and connecting to their faces, putting them down instantly. Barret and Cloud quickly got up and rushed towards Zack and Tifa, only to see more Shinra troops running at them. The gang braced themselves, preparing for a brawl.

* * *

"It appears we have company," mumbled Tseng as he looked up at the ceiling to hear the alarm ringing loudly.

"Think it's them?" asked Reno with a smile on his face.

"Hm…perhaps they have survived," replied Rude as he pushed his sunglasses up.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Zack did survive from Sector 7 and is the one causing all this commotion," replied Tseng.

"Just say the word boss and will gladly take them out," said Reno as he gave out a grin, his E.M.R. laying against his shoulder.

"Will wait," said Tseng as he raised his hand, "Will let Zack and his friends reach Aerith and let them have a small little reunion before we take them into custody."

"Aw man! I was hoping to have a good time too," chuckled Reno as he shook his head side to side, "Oh well, you the boss."

"Shall we…assist them?" asked Rude.

"Can you avoid being caught by Shinra and his dogs?" asked Tseng.

"We've done black ops before and besides, we know Shinra has a few blind spots and we can use that to our advantage," smiled Reno, "Will try and slow down the troopers as much as we can until they reach the girl."

"Then I have nothing to worry about. Go," said Tseng as he brushed his hand at them. With that, the two Turks nodded towards each other and left the room, ready to 'aid' the AVALANCHE as much as they could. Once Tseng's Turks were gone, he gave a sigh to himself as he rubbed his forehead, trying to get rid of the headache.

"Zack. I'm beginning to wish you stayed dead…"

* * *

"Quick! Let's get to the elevator before more show up!" yelled Zack.

"Are you nuts? Will be sitting ducks in there!" yelled Tifa.

"Do you even know where to go Zack?" asked Cloud.

"We can use the elevators to reach to Floor 59. Once we reach that floor we have to take a new set of elevators that will lead us up to Floor 60. Security will be pretty light from that point on, but we still got to be careful. I've been on Floor 68 before, but that was a while back and I can barely remember the structure of that floor," explained Zack.

"So in other words, we're going in blind? You're insane! I thought you knew the WHOLE structure of this building!" yelled Tifa in anger.

"I only know some of it. I may have been in SOLDIER, but even we have limited access to certain levels!" yelled Zack in defense, "Look, we can argue about this later! Right now we need to get out of here before more of those goons show up."

"To be honest, I like going gun blazing," laughed Barret, but his laugh quickly died as he saw the elevator wasn't responding when he clicked on the up arrow, "Must be locked."

"Or we just need to wait," groaned Cloud.

Barret mumbled something under his breath as he heard Cloud's response and as he couldn't wait any longer, he banged his left hand against the metal door, "I think the damn thing is broken!"

Just as if Barret had said those magic words, the doors to the elevator had opened up to them, offering them sanctuary. Zack gave a grin towards Barret who stood there dumbfounded as he struggled to say his next words while Tifa just gave a sigh and pushed Barret inside with Cloud and Zack following behind her. As all four were in the elevator, the doors closed and began to ascend. As they were ascending up, having no idea where they were going, soft jazz music began playing and Barret seemed to be enjoying it. He was tapping his foot with the rhythm of the elevator music, which caused the other three to turn their heads to him. Barret noticed the glances he was getting and glared back at his comrades.

"What? The music is soothing!" yelled Barret.

His only response from them was a groan.

* * *

"How far are we taking them?" asked Reno as he looked over Rude's shoulder.

Rude was sitting on a nearby desk wearing huge headphones that looked nearly identical to stereo headphones and was on his black colored laptop that had a cable plugged into a computer. The two Turks had found an office room to use and lucky for them, due to after hours, there were no employees around, so the chance of them being caught was close to a mere 0 percent. The tricky part, however, was hacking the Shinra network system and making sure they wouldn't set off an alarm.

The office computer of course was a mere working station, but the Turks were given special laptops that can be only be used by inserting their ID cards into the computer and by voice activation. They had complete access to nearly every file Shinra HQ that was being carried in the system including their own, but this power had a certain extent. Of course, the files they weren't allowed to access were the five departments of Shinra and anything higher beyond that. However, due to the mishap from Veld, the previous leader of the Turks, Shinra had given the Turks limited access to prevent them from leaking any information; fearing a possible coup d'état, despite the second chance they were given.

It did not matter to Rude though because Shinra shared the same advantage and disadvantage, technology. Shinra was always big on technology, constantly being updated from time to time, and because of that, nearly the entire Shinra HQ was run by a high-tech computer system. Rude was about to perform the impossible, hacking the system without getting caught. If Rude were to make the smallest mistake, it would trigger an alarm in the mainframe and the defense system would trace it back to his laptop, but he preferred using it anyways instead of using the office computer because the office computers are constantly monitored twenty-four hours a day. By using his laptop, Rude will prevent Shinra from thinking there is a 'rat' in the building if they find a problem coming from one of their own computers. Also, with his laptop connected to the Shinra network, it will be hard for them to be detected, only if everything runs smoothly that is...

"I heard them mentioning about Floor 59 and planning to transfer to another elevator to reach Floor 60 ," replied Rude as he was typing on his laptop, "So it appears I'm going to be taking them there."

"You going to lockdown the entire elevator system?" asked Reno as he raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, except the elevator our 'friends' are on," said Rude as he gave out a nod, "I will also try to keep the doors locked so the Shinra soldiers won't be able to reach them and will have to end up taking the stairs."

"Damn stairs are long as hell," laughed Reno.

"Precisely. That will give them plenty of time to reach the girl."

"Well do remember, not to stay too long in the system. Eventually you'll get spotted."

"I tend not to. No mission is impossible for the –"

"For the Turks. Yeah, yeah I know already. You really got to lighten up man."

"…"

* * *

As the team reached Floor 59, they spotted two guards guarding the second elevator Zack had mentioned. Zack was surprised that the elevator they were on had stayed closed during the entire lift and was wondering what was going. Knowing all the trouble they have caused, they thought they would get stopped by each floor and battle a large group of enemies, but Zack quickly shook the thought out of his head because right now he had to save Aerith and that was all that mattered. The two troops noticed the four and quickly ran up towards them, pointing their rifles at them, however they didn't even last a minute as Cloud and Zack cut their rifles in half with their swords, making them completely useless. Tifa and Barret each took them out with a powerful punch to their faces, knocking them cold.

"That was easy," said Barret

"The hard part is reaching the top," mumbled Zack as he searched the pockets off the guards. It wasn't too long until he found a gold card and gave out a smile as he showed it to everyone as if it was the grand prize he just won, "Got it! We can now access the second elevator with this card, but by the looks of things, we might only be able to access Floor 60 so we need to continue on by the stairs."

"What about the rest of the guards once we get there?" asked Cloud.

"If we face any trouble, then will just send trouble right back to them," smiled Zack.

As Zack inserted the keycard in a card slot, the elevator gave out a loud 'bing,' slowly opening the doors to let the group in. As they stepped inside, they were inside a glass tube elevator that gave them the view of Midgar, or at least certain sections of the city. Tifa and Barret had their mouths slightly opened, completely in awe as they saw the city stretching far as what they could see since they had never seen Midgar from this kind of height. Zack, however, had other thoughts running in his head as he stared deeply down below him.

'_I wonder how much this placed has changed…I wonder how much I have changed…how much Aerith changed__. Angeal…what would you say on what I have become?'

* * *

_

"They are heading to Floor 60. I'll be locking down the elevators now," said Rude as he typing rapidly on his laptop.

"So far so good, I don't see anyone in the hallway," replied Reno as he was sticking his head out of the office room, "Just keep an eye on Fair and the others."

"Everything is going according to plan. The soldiers are unable to gain any access to the elevators and are beginning to take the stairs."

"Yeah, but I wonder how long will it take for them to realize someone is helping them from the inside?"

"Our chances of being detected are still low."

"Whichever the case Rude, I suggest you hurry up and disconnect yourself from the system before we get caught. You said they are starting to take the stairs right? No need to put yourself in any more danger than necessary."

"Roger. Shutting down."

"Heh. Then let's set up already, partner!"

"..."

* * *

"Here we are. Floor 60," said Cloud as he stepped out of the elevator and scouted the area for any possible enemies that may be lurking around.

"Something is not right," mumbled Zack.

"What's up yo?" asked Barret.

"This is too easy. Usually in this kind of situation, the elevators would be in lockdown," explained Zack as he turned around to face Barret.

"What do you mean?" asked Tifa as she appeared behind Barret.

"Someone is helping us from the inside," said Zack.

"Man you must be going nuts," yelled Barret.

"You're right Zack. You would think Shinra would do something to prevent us from reaching the top at least," said Cloud.

Barret just gave out a grunt under his breath, "Who the hell cares? We should just take da damn opportunity and get your girl!"

"For once I agree with Barret," said Tifa nodded her head in approval, "The sooner we get Aerith, the sooner we can get out of here."

Cloud and Zack gave out a nod towards Tifa and wasted no time as they went to the nearest stairs, continuing with their rescue operation.

* * *

The gang had soon reached Floor 66, the Shinra executive offices and meeting room. The small team was able to avoid a few patrolling guards around the area as they headed up the stairs and Zack took a few silently without causing too much commotion. The last thing Zack wanted was to trip an alarm and crush their chances of saving Aerith.

"Psst…why is security light here? I mean, isn't this were the big leagues of Shinra are," asked Barret as he whispered softly behind Zack.

"Shinra has like an army in the base of the building. They probably felt like there was no need to have so much security at Floor 60 and beyond," whispered Zack back, "Besides, Shinra is huge on technology and also believed no one would be stupid enough to try and attack HQ…though that was proven wrong, three times. Can't believe the president isn't doing much work to improve security..."

Cloud just chuckled softly, "Makes it easier for us right?"

"Haha, yeah," laughed Zack quietly.

"I'm guessing we are the ones that are attacking Shinra for the third time?" asked Tifa as she raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. The second attack on Shinra HQ was from a former SOLDIER named Genesis, but the amount of damage he inflicted wasn't too serious. I also heard there was a first attack that was caused before him, but that was highly classified so I don't know much about it," answered Zack.

"Whatever the case, yo know what they say, third time is the charm," grinned Barret.

"Who is Genesis?" asked Tifa.

"Another story…another memory," mumbled Zack.

Barret and Tifa gave confused looks and before Zack could say anything else, he saw a familiar fat man in a red suit with a red uniformed soldier following close behind him. Zack quickly hid at the corner of the wall, hoping he wasn't seen and pressed his finger against his lips to tell the others to be quiet. All four of them slowly stuck their heads out to see President Shinra talking towards the red-uniformed commander, his voice sounding frustrated.

"I want to know how AVALANCHE was able to break into my building and also how they were able to lockdown the elevators!" yelled Shinra, "Go get me some answers soldier! I need them now!"

"Sir! Yes sir!" yelled the commander as gave a salute towards the president before dashing away.

Zack saw president Shinra walking into some kind of room before seeing a huge metal door closing behind him. In that glimpse second, before the door closed shut, Zack could have sworn he saw the entire Shinra directors in that one room, sitting together around a long wooden table.

"What you think is going on?" whispered Barret.

"Besides the commotion we are causing? Absolutely nothing," replied Tifa.

"I'm kind of curious on the meeting the big man is having," said Zack.

"How are we supposed to spy on them?" whispered Barret again.

Cloud looked up and tapped on Zack's shoulder to get his attention. As Zack turned around, he saw Cloud pointing his finger above him, which caused Zack to turn his head to look up, seeing an air duct that seemed to be leading into the meeting room.

"We can probably use that Zack," answered Cloud softly. He turned around to see the air duct coming from a nearby restroom and pointed towards it, "We can access it from the bathroom and just go inside the meeting from the vent."

"Good work Cloud," smiled Zack as he gently patted Cloud's back and walked inside the restroom.

The restroom was surprisingly clean, though it was kind of obvious it WAS a Shinra executive bathroom so it was supposed to be clean. Cloud and Tifa slowly walked inside the restroom, checking each stall to see if there was anyone else with them, luckily it was just the four of them. Barret quickly checked the area to see if there was anyone in sight and closed the door behind him after he had left a stand sign outside of the restroom saying, 'Out of Order.' Zack looked up as he saw a grant above a toilet, leading towards the vent. He got up onto the toilet, pushing the grate up, allowing to give him access inside the air duct that lead straight into the meeting room.

"I'll go and check out what Shinra is planning," said Zack as he focused his attention towards the three, "Tell you guys all about it when I get back."

Zack quickly pulled himself up into the vet and slowly crawled towards the conference room, leaving the three in the restroom since there was no way four people could squeeze themselves, especially with Barret's size. As he saw a light coming from another grate, he quickly stopped and peered through it.

'_That's a lot of suits,'_ thought Zack.

"We have the damage estimates for Sector 7," said a man wearing a blue suit, his long black hair reaching down behind him with a small beard on his face, "Considering those factories we already set up and all the investments, the damage is estimated at approximately 10 billion gil…"

'_10 billion gil? Wish I had that kind of money. Be living paradise right now…'_

"The estimated cost to rebuild Sector 7 is…"

"We're not rebuilding Reeve," said Shinra as he cut off.

"What?" said Reeve in shock, giving out a surprised stare towards the president.

"We're leaving Sector 7 as it is," answered Shinra as he ignored Reeve's expression on his face. He gave out a small soft smile and pulled out a gold case from his pocket, removing a cigar from it and placing it in his mouth, lighting it and blowing the smoke out, "Will be restarting the Neo-Midgar plan."

'_Neo-Midgar?'_

"The Promised Land will soon be ours," continued Shinra. He gazed towards Reeve as he inhaled his cigar and blew out smoke from his mouth, "I want you to raise the Mako rates 15% in every area."

Reeve gave an even more surprised look on his face that Zack never could have imagined to be possible and then focused his attention to a fat man, a lot more tubby than Shinra, wearing a brown suit with gray hair, was jumping out of his seat in excitement that Zack could have sworn was not possible due to the physical shape he was in.

"Rate hike! Rate hike!" yelled the fat brown suit man, his tone sounding like he was singing happily, "Tra, la, la! And please include our Space Program in the budget!"

Shinra sighed as he gave a shook his head, "Reeve and Scarlet will divide the extra income from the rate increase, Palmer."

"Oh man!" groaned Palmer as he slumped against the table.

"Sir, if you raise the rates, the people will lose confidence," yelled Reeve, obviously not liking the president's idea.

"It'll be all right," answered Shinra calmly, "The ignorant citizens won't lose confidence; they'll trust Shinra, Inc. even more."

A large man in green gave out a loud 'horse laugh,' whom Zack recognized very well. Heidegger was well known for his Public Safety Maintenance Department, mostly due to the fact that he basically controlled the Shinra army and the police force.

"Ha ha ha! They'll trust Shinra more because we're the ones who saved Sector 7 from AVALANCHE," laughed Heidegger.

'_That dirty…'_

It wasn't until Zack had noticed a man in a long white lab coat walked into the conference room with his hands behind his back. He wore glasses that were slightly falling off of him and had long black hair, tied together into a ponytail with a few bangs hanging down at both sides of his head. His name was Hojo and he was the director of the science department, obviously from the lab coat he wore. Zack always viewed Hojo as the mad scientist of Shinra, always conducting experiments and treating others as if they were his own lab rats. Though what was bothering Zack was flash images appearing in his mind of him back in the Shinra Manor basement along with Cloud, giving him a throbbing headache. He groaned quietly and rubbed his forehead, hoping to make the pain go away.

'_Memories of that horrible place…wish they would just disappear and be forgotten, but why am I remembering them now?'_

"Hojo, how's the girl?" asked Shinra.

Zack's eyes shot up and clenched his teeth tightly against each other in anger as he saw Hojo giving out a smirk as he pushed his glasses up, "As a specimen, she is inferior to her mother. I'm still in the process of comparing her to her mother, Ifalna, but for now the difference is 18%."

'_Specimen? How dare you! I swear Hojo, if you layed a finger on Aerith…I'll…"_

"How long will the research take?" asked Shinra as he jabbed his cigar into an ashtray and rested his elbows on his desk, and interlocking his fingers together.

Hojo laughed softly under his breath, though it was still possible to hear it. It was almost like Hojo was laughing at the question, like it was some kind of joke, "Probably 120 years. It's impossible to finish in our lifetime or in the lifetime of the specimen too, for that matter. That's why I'm thinking of breeding her, one I can create that could withstand the research for a long time."

"Breeding her? Like…you mean with another human right?" asked Reeve, sounding very uneasy with Hojo's explanation. Nothing good never came out of Hojo OR his research. Zack could have sworn he saw a twisted grin on Hojo's face, which made his blood boil.

"What about the Promised Land? Won't it hinder our plans?" asked Shinra, trying to get back into his subject.

Hojo placed his hand on his chin, scratching it as he pondered in his thoughts, "That's why I need to plan. The mother is strong…and yet has her weaknesses. Heh heh heh…"

"That concludes our meeting then," groaned Shinra.

As everyone in the meeting room got up from their chairs and started to head out, Zack felt something tapping on his back. The sudden surprise caught Zack off guard and made him crash towards the side of the vent, though Zack was able to stop himself from causing a loud noise, and covered his mouth shut. Scarlet, in her long red silky dress, looked up towards the vent above her and gave out a cold glare. She grunted to herself and as she left the meeting room, the door hissed shut behind her. Zack gave a out sigh of relief and turned his head around to see Cloud behind him with a worried look on his face.

"Sorry for sneaking up on you like that," mumbled Cloud softly, "I didn't mean to."

Zack smiled softly and shook his head, "It's all right. They just finished so let's just hurry up and get Aerith."

"Did something happen?"

"Nothing really. Shinra is just being dirty like always. I'll explain the rest later, let's just get out of here."

Cloud could tell Zack was hiding something, but he was right, they had to move quickly and save Aerith before anything else could happen. As the two quickly climbed themselves out of the vent, Barret gave out a glare towards the black haired SOLDIER with his arms crossed over his chest, though was having a hard time doing so due to his gun arm, not pleased with the waiting he had to endure.

"Damn man, what took you so long?" asked Barret.

Tifa gave a worried expression on her face, "Did something happened?"

"Cloud already asked me that. I'll explain everything later, right now we just need to save Aerith and get out of here," answered Zack as he quickly left the bathroom and started to fast walk. Barret, Tifa, and Cloud quickly followed Zack, trying to keep up with his pace and also trying to be careful not be noticed by anyone else. Zack though wasn't worrying about getting caught as he had only one thing racing in his mind, save Aerith at any cost.

* * *

The team had reached Floor 67 and was trying to figure out where to go next, though Zack seemed to be remembering this area as this was the floor Angeal had taken him when Genesis had launched his attack on Shinra HQ. It wasn't too long until all four had stumbled into the storage room, but quickly stopped in their tracks as they saw Hojo staring deeply into a large glass container that carried some kind of red fur beast inside of it, sleeping peacefully. As they heard footsteps coming from behind them, they quickly hid behind a huge crate to see one of Hojo's assistant walking towards him.

"Is this today's specimen?" asked the assistant.

"Yes. We're starting right away. Raise my precious specimen to the upper level," answered Hojo, not keeping his eyes off the sleeping red beast. As the assistant bowed his head and walked off, Hojo gave a smirk towards his specimen and headed off, heading towards upstairs.

As the coast was clear, Tifa slowly walked towards the large glass container and placed her hand against it, tilting her head as she examined the beast inside of it, "Precious specimen?"

"Don't know what they gonna to with it and I don't wanna even wanna know, ya know," said Barret as he stared inside the glass tube as well.

"My guess is that it is going to be used for a biological experiment or something...I don't know," said Zack as he crossed his arms, "We should continue our plan on rescuing Aerith. What you think Cloud? Cloud?"

As Zack turned his head to face the blond, he saw Cloud staring at some kind of huge black container with a purple glow coming out of its small window. What made Zack worried though was the fear in Cloud's eyes. He had small sweats falling down from his face, shaking uncontrollable, and taking fast breaths as his chest was raising and falling rapidly. Tifa raised her head and raced towards him as she saw him, quickly catching him before he fell hard onto the ground. Barret and Zack also rushed towards him, their facial expression filled with worry and concern.

"Cloud? You ok?" asked Tifa in fear.

"Damn man. You look like you seen a ghost," said Barret.

"Z-Zack. T-They brought it here," mumbled Cloud, still shaking in fear.

"What? What's wrong Cloud?" asked Zack.

Cloud raised his hand, struggling to make his finger point towards the object he was staring at not too long. Zack though seemed to understand him and turned around to see what made Cloud get so scared. It wasn't until he looked inside the glass, he stared sweating and shaking uncontrollable as well. Inside this container was the calamity that fell from the sky a long, long time ago…Jenova.

"Damn man, what's making you shake in your boots? You look scared like spiky over there," said Barret as he noticed Zack's sudden expression.

"Jenova…Sephiroth's…So…they've brought it here," mumbled Zack in fear, "And it's still moving…still alive?"

_It has begun to move…_

"Where is its fricken head?" asked Barret as he stared inside the container, looking through the small glass, "This whole thing's stupid. Let's just ignore it and keep goin-"

It wasn't until Barret turned around and jumped in surprised as he saw Zack clutching onto the hilt of his sword, anger replacing the fear in his eyes. It was like he had a murderous look in them as he raised his sword and aimed the tip of it towards the container that was holding Jenova inside of it.

"Nothing…but bad memories," mumbled Zack, his voice being dark and sounding unfamiliar to everyone.

"The hell you doin' man! Put that down! I thought we were here to save the girl," yelled Barret, but kept his voice down as he didn't want anyone of the Shinra employees to hear them.

"Zack! Calm down!" whispered Tifa as he glared towards Zack.

Cloud slowly pulled himself up off of Tifa and walked towards Zack, placing a hand on his shoulder. Zack turned around, anger and hatred still in his eyes and this made Cloud nearly jump off by surpris. He could never imagine seeing Zack like this, but quickly shook off the thought as that would be another time to talk to him about. Right now he just wanted to help his friend from doing something reckless that will destroy their chances on saving Aerith.

"I'm fine, Zack. Really I am," said Cloud softly, "I'm sorry for reacting like that, I should have controlled myself. We need to save Aerith before we can do anything else, so please Zack…calm down."

Zack gave took small breaths and weakly nodded to him, knowing he was right. As Zack placed his Buster Sword back onto him, he quickly walked away and pointed his finger ahead of them, "I remember an elevator just behind those crates. We can use it to access the main laboratory and I'm sure that's where will find Aerith."

As the three nodded, they closely followed behind Zack as he led them to an elevator he had just mentioned. Cloud had his eyes focused on the ground, not believing what he saw not too long ago. Memories of Nibelheim burning to the ground, Sephiroth killing the town folks and nearly killing Tifa, Zack flying out of the room and crashing into one of the pods in the Mt. Nibel Reactor, everything. Though Cloud had to push them aside, he had to be strong for himself, for Zack, and for everyone else. Maybe after saving Aerith, he'll get rid of Jenova once and for all, hoping all those painful memories of the past will die with her. He was believing bad memories shouldn't exist in people's mind and should either be forgotten or somehow just die, erase the past as he would put it...

It wasn't too long until they had reached the main laboratory with Hojo staring at a larger glass container compared to the one downstairs with his assistant behind him, working the controls. Zack gave a fearful expression as he saw Aerith lying unconsciously inside the glass container and raced towards her, placing his hands against the glass wall and screaming her name.

"AERITH!"

"Aerith? Oh, is that her name? What do you want?" asked Hojo as he glared at his unexpected guests.

"I'm here to take her back," yelled Zack as pulled out his Buster Sword and lunged himself towards Hojo, placing the edge of the sword a mere inch away from his neck.

Hojo just closed his eyes, giving out a small grin on his face, seemingly unfazed by Zack's sword, "Outsiders…There's so many frivolous things in this world." Zack gave out a glare and placed the edge of his sword a little closer against his neck, which only made Hojo laugh. "Are you going to kill me? I don't think you should. The equipment here is extremely delicate. Without me, who could operate it? Hmm?"

"At least I'll have the satisfaction of taking your life away," mumbled Zack as he glared darkly towards Hojo.

"Heh, you have his eyes," grinned Hojo as he starred into Zack.

Zack gave a confused look, not expecting that kind of answer from Hojo. It was completely random which made him to lower his sword, "What?"

"Bring in the specimen!" yelled Hojo as he quickly turned his head towards his assistant behind him when Hojo had the chance.

As his assistant nervously nodded, he quickly pressed a few buttons on the machine and in the center of the glass container where Aerith was being kept, suddenly opened. Zack turned around and fear struck him as he saw the red fur beast that he and the others recognized from the lower level appearing in the chamber. Aerith, unfortunately, regained her conscious and saw the wolf-like creature growling at her furiously when he awoke from his slumber, which made her quickly sit up and crawling away from the creature, but in her despair, she felt her back laying against the glass wall behind her.

"What are you doing Hojo?" yelled Zack as he focused his attention at the scientist that was still standing behind him.

Hojo couldn't help but give out a small chuckle as he grinned towards Zack, "Lending a helping hand to the endangered species…both of them are on the brink of extinction. If I don't help, all these animals will disappear."

"ANIMAL? Aerith is a human being!" yelled Zack as he clutched onto Hojo's collar and lifted him a few inches off the ground.

"Typical Shinra! They got nothin' but sick minds!" yelled Barret.

"We need to do something and quickly!" cried Tifa.

"Step back!" yelled Cloud.

As Cloud raced towards the front of the glass container, he aimed his rifle at the top and bottom of the glass door and started to fire. There was a loud buzzing sound and the entire glass container was filled with light. Cloud slowly back away from it and couldn't see Aerith or the creature inside of it.

"You fool! What have you done? Oh! My precious specimens!" yelled Hojo while Zack was still holding onto him, his gaze fixed onto Aerith's chamber.

As the door opened by itself and before the light could die out, the red creature jumped out of the chamber, leaping onto Zack. With Zack's quick reflexes, however, he was able to dodge the jump with a few seconds to spare and witnessed the creature clamping his paws against Hojo's arms, pinning him down on the ground. He gave a furious growl as he stared at the scientist with his right eye as his left eye was tightly closed with a scar over it.

"What is the meaning of this!" cried Hojo.

"Looks like you got what ya deserve!" grinned Barret as he saw Hojo in a predicament.

"Zack."

Zack turned his head to see Aerith standing by the entrance of the container, staring at him deeply. He wasn't able to react quickly enough as Aerith rushed off into him, wrapping her arms tightly around him, and placing her face against his chest. Zack gave a confused blink, but gave out a smirk as he wrapped his arms around her, gently swinging her around as she clutched onto him. Aerith gave out a weak giggle, but then started to cry as Zack stopped twirling her around.

"You're here. You really are here," mumbled Aerith quietly as she had face still against Zack.

"I was meant to call and write to you, but I had no pen or paper and I didn't have signal for five years," laughed Zack weakly.

"Is that the best excuse you can come up with?" asked Aerith as he gave out a weak giggle under her breath.

"There's so much I want to tell you, Aerith. I'm sorry for leaving you…"

"Don't be. I knew you wouldn't leave me. All these years Zack, I was waiting for you, but…I should be the one to say sorry to you…"

"For what?"

"I'm sorry for ruining your reunion together, but may I suggest you take this opportunity to leave at once?" asked the creature as he turned his head slightly to the left to face Aerith and Zack.

Zack jumped by surprised which made Aerith yelp by his unexpected movement as she was still holding onto him, "You talk?"

He could have sworn he had saw it give out a smirk or something, "I can talk as much as you want, sir. However I feel this sudden outburst will alert the guards, so we must leave immediately."

"We have Aerith so let's go!" yelled Tifa.

"You're leaving so soon? But the party just started."

Everyone focused their attention at the balcony above them to see two men wearing black suits staring back at them. Zack clenched his teeth as he recognized Reno and Rude. His only response he got from them was a silent nod from Rude and a smirk from Reno as he was tapping his E.M.R. against his shoulder.

"Fair! Good to see you alive! I knew the entire Sector 7 wouldn't be able to stop you!" laughed Reno.

"I suggest you let the professor go," said Rude as he stared at the red creature through his sunglasses.

The red creature gave a snarl towards the bald Turk, but lifted himself off of Hojo. He saw the scientist brushing the dirt off his coat and walked away, giving a cold glare towards Zack and the others, but before he could leave, Zack called out towards him.

"Hojo! When you said "You have his eyes," what do you mean by that," yelled Zack.

His only response was a grin from the mad scientist and a loud laugh before leaving the room. Zack clenched his hand into a fist, furious he didn't get an answer from Hojo, but why was he laughing at him? Was there a point to it? It didn't make any sense to him, but what he couldn't understand was the pain he felt inside of him whenever he looked at Hojo and hatred whenever Hojo stared back at him. His thoughts quickly disappeared as a large platoon of Shinra troops came rushing inside, surrounding Zack and the others. They aimed their rifles towards the intruders, ready to fire when necessary. The entire team hand their backs against each other to give one another cover, while Zack hid Aerith behind him. Even the red creature was doing in his best to give his new allies some support as he stood next to Zack.

"You know, I never got you name," grinned Zack as stared at the red creature.

"My name is of no importance. However, Hojo has named me Red XIII, a name with no meaning whatsoever. You may call me whatever you wish," answered the red creature.

"I'll call you Red for now until I can come with a better name for you," chuckled Zack.

"Very well then," answered Red, returning a soft chuckle back to him.

'_Looks like will be making our final stand here. Though I'm planning on leaving this place alive, along with the others. At least Aerith is back with me again…All what's left is protecting her now. So, come on Shinra! Give me your best shot! Let's dance one more time!'_

**END OF: INFILTRATING SHINRA TOWER

* * *

**

God, 18 pages of writing and proofreading. I did my best to proofread this chapter to the fullest of my ability. My ability on proofreading is probably low, but hopefully I have no mistakes or very small ones, though I'm hoping I have none because I like making everything perfect as much as possible. I also didn't want to put enemies on Floor 60 and above because I wanted to avoid little combat as much as I could at the moment. Don't worry, I plan on adding combat scenes on important events in the future, just not right now, you know? I tried my best to explain Shinra's network system when Rude was hacking it, but if you don't like it, sue me! Actually, please don't do that. I'm very poor and I don't think you'll get much from me...I just hoped you enjoyed it and will leave a review. It maybe long, but hey, I guess you can say I'm making up for lost time, right?

P.S. I'm thinking about changing the story title to "Alter Code: Z" and of course, the 'Z' stands for Zack. What do you think?


	12. CONFLICT

The following story is merely fan-made by my imagination. Final Fantasy VII and anything related is owned by Squaresoft (now Square-enix). Please support the official release!

Dissidia 012 is really fun, though there are a few problems I really don't like. First off, the enemies seem way to powerful now, and at least with me, they always spam the same move over and over again! And Yuna! Yuna would be A LOT better if she had powers from her dressphere than summoning Aeons. Hey, summoning Aeons is cool and all, just seemed more sense to me if she was a Gunner because the moves she can perform...why does she need Guardians in the first place if she can jump 10x up in the air like that? That's why it make SOME sense if she was a Gunner from FF X-2...I don't know even know why I'm talking about Dissidia 012 when this is Final Fantasy 7...well, Final Fantasy is Final Fantasy after all, right?

Anyways, thanks for the reviews folks. I guess I'll keep my story title as it is. I just thought I could come up with a better name for it than 'Final Fantasy VII: Alternative,' but I guess it's alright so I will keep it as it is. I'm also going to revise some of my previous chapters and if you all are interested, recheck them out. I'll put down the date I revised them so you'll know which one was fixed. I just want to improve them because I want my story be perfect or at least near-perfect for you all. I would say more, but I'm sure you all want to read, so go ahead. Don't forget to enjoy, hate, or whatever. You know the drill.

* * *

**CHAPTER 011: CONFLICT**

"So, you going to surrender Fair or do we have to do this the hard way?" asked Reno as he stared down at Zack below him from the balcony with a smirk on his face.

"Why not just let us go Reno? It'll make things a lot easier for the both of us," grinned Zack.

"No can do pal. If we did that then will be in major mambo trouble," laughed Reno.

"Our orders are to take you to custody so I suggest you lower your weapons and surrender quietly," said Rude as he hid his arms behind his back.

"What do we do Zack?" whispered Barret as he had his gun-arm up, still aiming at the troops that surrounded them.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," mumbled Zack as he was examining his surroundings, trying to find a way to get out of this pinch.

"It's pointless Zack so please consider lowering your weapons," said a new voice.

Zack turned his head slightly to see a new figure walking towards him through the crowd of Shinra soldiers wearing a Turk uniform. Zack gave a cold glare and clenched tightly onto the hilt of his sword as he saw Tseng appearing before him. Tseng just stood there, calm and unfazed by Zack's threatening glare, though Zack could have sworn he saw a weak soft smile on his face for a second.

"I'm glad you're all right Zack. At first I truly believed you did die from the Sector 7 explosion, but when I heard the alarm going off, I knew it had to be you," said Tseng.

"So the gang is all here then, but where is Cissnei?" asked Zack, still glaring at Tseng.

"She is no longer with us. She left the Turks when she heard of your death," explained Tseng.

'_Death?'_ thought Aerith in confusion as she stared at Zack.

"I see," mumbled Zack.

"So Zack, will you surrender?" asked Tseng.

Zack just gave a weak smile as he shook his head to Tseng, "Sorry Tseng, but I'm going to have to deny. I may be an ex-SOLDIER, but I still carry my honor and pride."

"Stubborn as always…but a foolish choice to make. Reno! Rude! You know what to do."

As Reno and Rude jumped off the balcony and landed onto the hard floor to where Zack and the others were, the gang went into their battle stance, but Zack quickly raised his arm up to his friends to stop them.

"I got this," said Zack as he stared at Reno and Rude.

As he said that, the party gave him shock and angry expressions on their faces, not liking the idea he was going to face two Turks alone.

"What?"

"Da hell is wrong with ya?"

"Please reconsider your decision."

"But Zack!"

"Are you sure?"

"Relax, I know what I'm getting myself into," laughed Zack softly as he stared at his friends, "I'll be fine, it's just something I need to do. Don't worry you guys. I plan not to lose to these guys. After all…I am ex-SOLDIER 1st Class, Zack Fair!"

Everyone had doubts on their faces, but decided to let him have his way. As Zack dropped his Buster Sword onto the ground, the party soon followed him, doing the same thing. They removed their weapons and accessories, placing them on the ground, but of course Barret couldn't remove his gun-arm, so he simply removed the bullets out of his weapon. Red laid himself down on the ground to show he wasn't going to fight back. Few of the Shinra troops walked up towards the party and started taking all their weapons and items away, but four of the Shinra grunts had to work together to carry Zack's Buster Sword off the ground as it was too heavy to carry for one man. After that, another group of Shinra troops walked up towards AVALANCHE, handcuffing them and pulling them a few feet away from Zack as he was about to fight against Reno and Rude.

'_Oh Zack…please be careful,'_ thought Aerith in worry.

"You ready Fair?" asked Reno as he gave a grin towards his opponent.

"We won't go easy on you," said Rude next as he put on his gloves, quickly taking a boxing stance.

"Let's settle things here and now," grinned Zack as he raised his fists, going into a fighting stance as well.

The room fell into complete silence as everyone had their eyes focused on the three males. All of a sudden, Reno and Rude were charging towards Zack in a blink of an eye. As Reno swung his EMR, Zack took a few steps back, quickly dodging every attack Reno was throwing at him. Rude then appeared next to Zack and started throwing punches at him, but Zack of course was dodging his attacks as well. Reno and Rude then took a quick side-step and launched a kick and a punch at him, though Zack raised both of his arms up to block the incoming attacks from both sides. Reno and Rude then backed off and launched themselves towards Zack once more, starting the whole process all over again.

"You're good Fair. Glad you haven't lost your touch after these past five years," laughed Reno as he swung his rod at Zack.

"I can tell you guys improved while I was away," laughed Zack as he was dodging.

"The Turks had to go through extensive training to make up for the fall of SOLDIER," explained Rude as he was throwing punches at Zack.

"The training was hell if you ask me, but I'm not complaining. You want to know why? It's because our salary is still better than yours!" yelled Reno.

All of a sudden, Rude was able to trap Zack into a bear hug from behind and started to slowly crush him. Zack cried in pain as Rude was crushing him and Reno found this the perfect opportunity to strike. Zack noticed Reno quickly dashing into him and had to think of something, fast. He let his instincts take control of him as he raised his boot and slammed it against Rude's foot. Rude cried in pain and as Reno raised his rod, ready to swing at him, Zack brought Rude down, watching Reno slam his rod against Rude's face. Rude cried in pain again as the metal weapon hit his cheekbone while Reno gave an embarrassing smile.

"Sorry Rude!"

As Reno lowered his guard, Zack quickly took hold of Reno's arm and used his entire strength to lift up the red-haired Turk and toss him against Rude who was still agonizing in pain. As Rude was trying to fight off the pain, Reno had crashed into him and both males crashed onto the floor hard. Reno groaned in pain and lifted himself off the bald Turk and as he took a step, he heard a large cracking noise. He looked down at the ground and saw a broken sunglass attached to his shoe. Rude seem to hear the noise and quickly lift up his head, realizing he wasn't wearing his sunglasses and gave a shocked expression as he stared at Reno, only to see him showing his goofy and embarrassing smile again.

"Sorry Rude."

"Reno! That was my favorite pair too!"

"You got hundreds of the same pair!"

Rude gave a small grunt towards his partner and lifted himself off the ground, pulling out another pair of sunglasses out of his suit that seemed to be an exact copy of the previous one he just wore and placed it onto him. Reno gave a smile while Rude just stared angrily at him, but the two quickly focused their attention back towards Zack, who was still in his fighting stance.

"Having fun Reno?" asked Zack with a smile on his face.

"The time of my life!" yelled Reno as he lunged himself towards Zack with Rude following close behind him.

The three were at it again as they started fighting once more. The troops could only stare in amazement as they saw the ex-SOLDIER and the two Turks fighting each other to their fullest strength. The party was cheering for Zack on, but Cloud could only stare. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. Sure, every attack Reno and Rude threw at Zack, he was able to dodge them with ease, but it was his fighting stance that bothered Cloud…it was sloppy. Zack was sweating, having trouble breathing, and seemed to be lightly clutching onto his chest. He really did seem exhausted, but that couldn't be right. There was no way he could have already used up his strength…

* * *

As Zack kept dodging every blow Reno and Rude launched at him, he launched his own attacks back to them, but the two Turks were able to dodge his attack as well. The Turks really have improved during the years and Zack was surprised. The three males soon took a few steps back from each other, trying to catch their breaths. Reno and Rude were panting heavily, but Zack though seemed to be getting the worse of it. The ex-SOLDIER gripped onto his chest, feeling a huge sting in his heart, but this was confusing him. He didn't think he could get this exhausted as he felt his heart beating at an incredible pace while he was fighting against the Turks. Zack kneeled onto the floor, gripping tightly onto his chest now, hoping he could make the pain go away, which made the others notice the condition he was in.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Barret as he stared at Zack in confusion.

"He appears to be exhausted," explained Red, "Perhaps he had used up too much of his strength?"

"This…isn't right," mumbled Cloud.

'_Damn. Why…do I feel so weak…I know I'm stronger than this, but…why,'_ thought Zack to himself.

_I'm very disappointed in you._

"Zack! Are you okay?" asked Aerith in worry as he saw him kneeling on the ground.

"I'm fine! Don't worry about me!" yelled Zack as he gave a weak smile to Aerith, only to see Aerith wasn't buying his smile as she still had that worried look on her face.

_Shall I lend you my strength?_

'_Listen. I don't know who the heck you are, but I suggest you get out of my head right now,'_ thought Zack angrily, _'I can handle this on my own!'_

_I would like to see how long you can last._

Tseng raised an eyebrow as he stared at the exhausted SOLDIER in front of him. Zack looked so weak and tired. He knew Zack had a lot more strength in him than what he was presenting, but it seems Reno saw this as an advantage as he stood straight up, seemingly to gain some of his energy back, and pointed his EMR towards him with a smirk on his face.

"You done already Fair? I'm disappointed in you. I always thought you had plenty of fighting spirit in you to keep you going," laughed Reno.

"You…huff…just wait…huff…I'm not done yet," laughed Zack tiredly.

"You don't seem to have enough strength in you left. Surrender quietly and we will assure you your life," said Rude.

"That's a joke right? You expect me to believe Shinra will assure the safety of my life? Shinra took away my life before. All I want now…is FREEDOM!" yelled Zack as he quickly got back up onto his two feet and went back into his fighting stance.

"Your call man!" yelled Reno as he dashed himself towards Zack.

_Allow me to show you the powers you are capable of._

Zack clutched onto his chest tightly now, feeling an incredible pain in his heart. It felt like it was burning and it would burst out of his chest in any second. He could feel his body acting on its own and could no longer control it. As Reno swung his EMR, Zack caught his hand and twisted it to the side. Reno cried in pain as Zack twisted his hand, forcing him to drop his weapon and before Reno could do anything, Zack spun him around and was now twisting his entire arm from behind. Reno kneeled to the floor, still crying in terrible pain and then Zack did the unexpected which shocked everyone; he threw a powerful punch into Reno's arm, instantly dislocating it. Zack took a step back and stared at Reno as he fell onto the floor, screaming in agony as he held onto his arm, which made Rude quickly race up to his partner.

"Reno!" yelled Rude.

"My arm! My arm! It hurts! Argh!" cried Reno as he held onto his arm.

Rude was next to Reno's side, placing a hand on his back. He gave a cold glare as he stared at Zack, but it quickly disappeared as he saw a light green glow coming from his eyes. Zack had that blank, emotionless look on his face as he stared at him and Reno, and for some odd reason, it was making feel uneasy…and scared? That can't be. Turks can't show fear; they are not supposed to know the meaning of the word fear...so why did he still feel edgy as he was staring at Zack?

"Rude! Take Reno to the infirmary room now!" yelled Tseng.

Hearing his boss voice, Rude snapped out of his trance and picked up Reno, who was still crying in pain, quickly taking him out of the lab, and away from Zack. Zack's party could only stare in shock and fear as they witnessed Zack's action. As Zack turned his head slightly to face Tseng, Tseng could just stared back at him, noticing the light green glow coming from his eyes. This wasn't Zack…no way he would do something like this, even if the Turks were now enemies to him, Zack would never use this kind of force.

'_What did Hojo do to you Zack?'_ thought Tseng as he stared at Zack. He snapped out of his thoughts and pointed his finger towards the ex-SOLDIER, yelling at the grunts, "RESTRAIN HIM! DO WHATEVER IT TAKES, BUT I WANT HIM ALIVE!"

The Shinra troops nodded and took out their beating sticks, dashing towards Zack. Zack just gave a small smirk under his face and charged towards the Shinra troops, going into an all-out brawl against them. Every Shinra trooper threw whatever they had at him, but each one failed in vain as Zack dodged every attack with ease and was knocking them out one by one. Cloud was clenching his teeth as he watched Zack's fight, not liking every bit of it. Even Aerith knew something was wrong with Zack as she watched him. He had that sinister smile on his face as he was fighting, like he was enjoying it…and it frightened her.

_x*x*x_

"_So, ever meet any SOLDIER members?" asked Aerith as she was walking into the park._

"_Maybe," said Zack as he was following Aerith close behind her._

"_Do you think that they're happy?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Heroes to children, protectors of the peace. But, they're not normal," mumbled Aerith weakly, "They get some kind of special surgery, don't they?"_

"_So they say," shrugged Zack._

"_Normal is best…I think so, at least. Those SOLDIER people are kind of…weird."_

"_They're…weird, huh?"_

"_And they're scary. They fight, and they love it."_

"_Actually, I'm with SOLDIER," smiled Zack weakly._

_x*x*x_

Aerith couldn't watch anymore as Zack was standing above the motionless bodies that he took out. She quickly raced to him, ignoring the calls of her friends and the yells from the rest of the soldiers. One of the Shinra troops was ready to drag her back, but Tseng quickly stopped him and watched Aerith as she reached Zack's back and pressing her forehead against his back.

"No more Zack…Please…I know you're not like this. This isn't you. No more fighting…please," mumbled Aerith.

Zack slightly turned his head to face Aerith behind him, the light green glow still in his eyes, but he could see a tear slowly running down her cheek. He took a few deep breaths and lowered his head, the green glow quickly disappearing and returning to his blue SOLDIER eyes. Aerith gave a weak smile, knowing Zack had finally calmed down and was back to himself.

"AERITH! LOOK OUT!" yelled Cloud.

Cloud rushed himself towards Aerith and pushed her away from Zack. Aerith was confused and was wondering why Cloud pushed her, but then realized why he did it. Something had struck Zack in the chest and was literally shocking him, making him scream in pain. Both Cloud and Aerith fell onto the floor and watched in horror as Zack was being shocked. As the electroshock ended, making him fall onto the ground unconscious, they saw a wire coming from his chest and attached to a stun gun Tseng was holding. Tseng gave a weak sigh and detached the wire from Zack, bringing it back into his stun gun and putting it away.

"Zack!" cried Aerith.

"He'll be fine. I merely just shocked him, temporary paralyzing him," explained Tseng. He turned his head to see Aerith still crying and saw Cloud clenching his teeth angrily as he was staring at Tseng, which only made him sigh again, "Forgive me for using an extreme action, but I wasn't going to stand aside as he was taking out every Shinra soldier in the room."

"…You'll pay Tseng," mumbled Zack weakly.

"Zack!" yelled Cloud and Aerith at the same time, happy to hear his voice.

"You're quite a handful you know," said Tseng.

"…I won't…huff….let…such a dirty….huff…move bring me down," mumbled Zack as he slowly getting back up to his feet, which was surprising everyone in the room, but Tseng was the only one who wasn't too much surprised.

"It seems like nothing can ever bring you down…I'm sorry to say that I have to take you to President Shinra and let him decide on what he should do to you," said Tseng, "Take them away, but I want the girl in her cell. The rest of you, take the wounded to the infirmary room."

Few of the Shinra troops walked up to Zack and handcuffed his hands behind his back, taking him and the rest of the party, with the exception of Aerith, to President Shinra. The rest of the soldiers took their wounded comrades away for treatment while Tseng shook his head at the bothersome event he had witnessed tonight and followed his prisoners.

* * *

The party was walking up the stairs that lead into the President's office in a single file line with Shinra troops escorting them. President Shinra's office was an enormous room and what stood before Zack and the others was a huge desk that Shinra was sitting behind.

"AVALANCHE. You have been a pain to my company for some time now. You're like a disease that spreads throughout the city," said Shinra as he gave a grin towards his guests as he stood from his desk and was slowly walking towards them.

"You're da disease you dirty son of a-"

"Where is Aerith?" yelled Zack angrily, interrupting Barret's sentence.

"In a safe place. She's the last surviving Ancient," answered Shinra, "Don't you know? They called themselves the Cetra, and lived thousands of years ago. Now they are just a forgotten page in history."

"That girl…she is a Cetra?" asked Red, completely surprised, "I thought they were all extinct…I never considered there would be a survivor."

"We believed so too until we found about that girl's origins," replied Shinra and continued on, "Cetra, or the Ancients, will show us the way to the 'Promised Land.' I'm expecting a lot of her."

Zack remained silent and continued to glare at the president in front of him. Red noticed the expression on his face and spoke again. "The Promised Land? I had heard stories of such a thing, but isn't that just a legend?"

Shinra gave a grin, knowing there was someone in the group that seemed to be interested in his speech and gave a shrug, "Even so, it's just too appealing not to pursue. It's been said the Promised Land is very fertile…If the land is fertile…"

"Then there's gotta be Mako!" yelled Barret as he realized what Shinra was getting at.

"This is where Neo-Midgar comes in right?" asked Zack.

"I see you have heard our conversation," chuckled Shinra softly, "Yes that is where Neo-Midgar will be built. This will be the company's new glory. This is my dream, to creature a new and bright future for everyone, giving them the paradise they rightfully deserve…"

"Quit dreamin'!" spat Barret.

"Your dream…is nothing more than a nightmare!" yelled Zack.

"Haven't you realized that these days, all it takes for your dreams to come true is money and power?" asked Shinra, unfazed by the angry glares he was receiving.

"Don't you dare give me that crap!" yelled Zack, his voice sounding unfamiliar again which made Cloud give a worried look on his face, "You can't just achieve your dreams like that! There is more to it than that!"

"You're all beginning to bore me now," grunted Shinra, "That's it for our meeting. You'll be staying with us for tonight. Tomorrow we celebrate AVALANCHE's execution for destroying Sector 7 and killing hundreds of innocent people during the process."

"How dare you!" yelled Tifa angrily.

"Take them away," said Shinra was he waved his arm towards the troops.

The troops gave a salute and stared to file everyone out of the president's office, however Barret seemed to be having other plans as he tried to rush himself towards Shinra, though he was forcibly removed by a group of Shinra grunts. Tseng was standing aside, watching them being escorted out, but noticed Zack was glaring darkly at him. Tseng raised his hand up to stop the troops from escorting Zack out.

"Give me a minute with him," said Tseng.

"What do you want?" asked Zack as he turned his head away from his former friend.

"I'm sorry for everything Zack. I'm just doing my job," answered Tseng, "I know a lot has happened and you have every right to be furious…"

"You've changed Tseng…I knew the Turks always did dangerous jobs…but I never believed you guys can be monsters," grunted Zack, "Destroying the entire Sector and framing YOUR actions on us, just to get rid of us…"

"I could say the same thing for you Zack, the damage you caused to Reno, breaking his arm like that. I knew SOLDIERS were powerful men, but I never believed you, yourself, can be so dangerous," replied Tseng, "You've changed as well."

"I did what?" asked Zack in awe as he stared at Tseng.

"You don't remember?" asked Tseng, completely surprised as well.

"Come on! Let's go!" yelled the troop.

The troop shoved the end of his rifle against Zack's back, forcing him to move. Zack still had that feared expression on his face as he was looking at Tseng behind him and as soon as he was out of sight, Tseng rubbed his headache, not believing what he had just heard.

'_You don't remember Zack? What the hell DID Hojo do you?'_

* * *

Everyone had been separated and placed into their cells. Cloud and Zack were put together in a middle cell, Tifa was placed in the next cell to where Cloud and Zack were, and Barret and Red were placed in the opposite cell across from them. Their doors hissed shut and heard the sounds of the Shinra soldiers' footsteps disappearing. Cloud turned his head to face Zack, who was sitting on the lower bunker bed, staring deeply into the ground. He was probably lost in his thoughts, trying to figure out what happened to him during his fight with Reno and Rude.

"Zack?" asked Cloud worriedly.

Zack shook his head and raised his head up to see the blonde looking at him with concern and couldn't help but give him a smile at Cloud, "Yeah?"

"It's…nothing. Forget it," mumbled Cloud softly.

Just then, they heard a light knock coming from the wall which made the two males turn their heads towards the sound.

"Cloud? Zack? Is that you?" asked the voice from the wall.

"Aerith?" asked Cloud.

"Oh Cloud! It is you! Is Zack with you? I thought I heard him," replied Aerith.

"I'm here Aerith," answered Zack.

"Zack…Are you okay? What happened?" asked Aerith worriedly.

"I…I don't know," mumbled Zack, "One minute I remember fighting Reno and Rude and then everything went black. "

"I see…" mumbled Aerith.

"Tseng…he told me I broke Reno's arm...did I really do that?" asked Zack in fear.

"You weren't yourself, that's all," replied Cloud.

"That's the thing. I WASN'T myself…what's wrong with me?" asked Zack as he gripped onto his head with both of his hands.

"You should probably get some rest Zack…maybe you might feel better tomorrow," said Cloud.

Zack sighed and pushed himself off the bed, "I guess you're right, Cloud. Despite that will be executed tomorrow…You sleep on the lower bed…I'll sleep on the top bunker bed. I just want to talk to Aerith for a little while…"

Cloud nodded and walked himself towards the bed Zack was sitting on and laid himself down. He turned around so his back was facing Zack, giving him the privacy he needed. He couldn't see the warm appreciating smile Zack was giving to him, but somehow Cloud could feel it.

As Zack and Aerith were softly talking to each other, Cloud could've have sworn he heard a whisper, calling out his name. He heard it again and then realized who was calling him. It was Tifa and he could almost feel like she was lying in bed with him. It was probably because their beds were against the same wall that was separating them.

"Cloud? You awake?" asked Tifa.

"Yeah. I'm just trying to get some rest. Zack and Aerith are having their little moment talking to each other," answered Cloud.

"Oh," replied Tifa.

"Something the matter?"

"I'm a little lonely I guess. I mean, I know were right next to each other…it just feels so empty. And also…Shinra said tomorrow will be our execution day, so I'm a little scared too."

Cloud gave a soft teasing smile as he couldn't believe what he heard, "You? Scared? I always thought nothing could get to you."

"I'm being serious Cloud!" yelled Tifa, but couldn't help it as she gave a weak giggle under her breath. It made Cloud happy hearing Tifa giggle like that, but it quickly disappeared as he heard that worried tone her voice, "You think we can get out?"

"It'll be kinda hard, but you leave it to me," answered Cloud, "Besides…you made me promise you that I would save you if you were ever in a pinch, remember? Or have YOU forgotten?"

"Hee hee…I haven't forgotten unlike YOU. But you're so brave, Cloud. It makes me happy, knowing you're really keeping that promise," sighed Tifa happily.

* * *

"I'm glad you're safe," said Zack as he placed his forehead against the wall, placing a hand against it as well.

"I still can't believe you really are here," mumbled Aerith as she was placing her forehead and hand against the wall at the exact spot Zack was at.

"I told you I would come, but I'm sorry it took me this long…"

"I always kept believing in you…knowing you would come back to me. At first I thought you maybe have left for another girl knowing the type of womanizer you are, hee hee…"

"Oh that's cold Aerith," laughed Zack weakly.

"But…I should say sorry to you," whispered Aerith sadly.

"Why? You and saying the word 'sorry' don't mix."

"I wanted to wait forever for you, I really wanted to Zack. My heart kept telling me to wait, but the more I waited, my mind kept telling me to move on …I'm sorry Zack…I didn't-"

"Ssshhh. Don't say such things…I have to repay you somehow to make up for all these years," laughed Zack.

"Zack…"

"No, no. Hmmm. Haha. Hey, how about one date?"

"…Don't be silly," smiled Aerith weakly, remembering the church where they had first met and Zack was offering her one date. She heard Zack giving a groan and couldn't help but laugh. It WAS exactly like before, "You still need to build me a nicer flower wagon."

"Really? I thought the old one was fine."

"The wheel broke off…"

"Stop being so picky! It's all about the flowers! Remember our motto? Midgar full of flowers-"

"-and wallet full of money," giggled Aerith. She missed hearing Zack's voice and that personality of his, she regretted for moving on, but then there was that thought of Cloud. He just appeared in her mind and it made her grow silent and then there was that scene in the park where they almost…

Zack became worried as Aerith wasn't talking and called out to her, "Aerith?"

"Oh! I'm sorry Zack. I was just lost in my thoughts," replied Aerith.

"You're probably tired. You should go rest. Leave everything to me all right? I was separated from you once…I'm not going to be separated from you again. I'm not going to leave you, not anymore," said Zack.

"Zack…"

"Go and rest okay?'

"Okay…Goodnight Zack."

"Goodnight Aerith…"

As Zack detached himself from the wall, he walked up towards the bunker bed and climbed himself on top. He could hear Cloud and he was guessing he was probably talking to Tifa who was at that the other side of the wall as well. Zack released a sigh and closed his eyes shut, trying to get as much sleep as he can get. He had to think of something, but he couldn't escape from the fact he needed to rest as well. He was hoping something might happen in the last minute that might end up saving their skins…usually whenever he was in a tight mind, SOMETHING did happened that ended up saving him. He couldn't help but give him a weak chuckle under his breath…it was going to take a miracle and the chances of that happening was very close to zero. Though, the thought of Tseng saying what he did to Reno, he couldn't believe it...he couldn't even remember doing it.

'_My fight with Reno...did I really break his arm? What's...going on with me?'_

**END OF: CONFLICT**

* * *

There! Finished…I don't know what else to say. Um…yeah. I'm not too good with action scenes. They are very hard to write down because you know…everyone has different ways of imagining a fight when someone writes it down and it's better to watch it than from reading it…(sighs). Oh well, did my best, that's all that matters right? Rude likes his sunglasses doesn't he? Always carries an extra pair just in case something happens to one he wears. Anyways, hoped you enjoyed it and will leave a review. Expect another update in two weeks. My chapters are getting a little longer now…But please review! Thank you!


	13. TRAIL OF BLOOD

The following story is merely fan-made by my imagination. Final Fantasy VII and anything related is owned by Squaresoft (now Square-enix). Please support the official release!

Nothing new to say…SO READ! I COMMAND YOU! And enjoy…please.

* * *

**CHAPTER 012: TRAIL OF BLOOD**

He could feel the heat around him even though he was surrounded by complete darkness. He couldn't understand where it was coming from, yet he could feel something burning against his skin. Then as he opened his eyes, he saw a town in flames. He his face was filled with fear, wondering how this could have happened. He scanned the area, seeing nothing, but the flames that surrounded him and the lifeless bodies that were scattered all over the ground. Then everything went black again. He turned around and saw a man, wearing black clothing with long silver hair that stretched down to his back, and was staring back at him with his green glowing eyes. He could see the silver-haired man giving him a sinister smile as he was staring at him.

"You," mumbled the man in fear, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be dead!"

"It's because you exist," grinned the silver-haired man.

"What do you mean?" asked the man in confusion.

"You'll never let go of the darkness…Face it – you turn your back on the present and live in the past, because the light of the present is too much."

"Shut up!"

"No matter how many times I fall, as long as you exist and continue holding onto the past, your darkness will keep calling me. You know that more than anyone…"

"Shut up! You don't know me!"

"But I do…Because I am you."

* * *

Cloud shot straight up from his bed with his eyes wide open. He was breathing heavily and grabbed hold on his chest, feeling his heart beating rapidly. He closed his eyes and began taking deep and slow breaths, trying to calm himself down. That nightmare…his hometown burning into the ground…that MAN in his dreams he wanted to forget and bury deep in his head. They were nothing, but bad memories he didn't want to remember, yet they always kept coming back to him.

"You're not me…You're not me," mumbled Cloud softly to himself.

Cloud slowly pushed himself off his bed and placed both of his feet against the ground, taking deep breaths once more. As he turned his head, he noticed his and Zack's cell door was wide open. He stood up and walked towards it, examining every area of it, wondering if this was real or some kind of dream.

"When was the door opened?" asked Cloud to himself as he was still examining the door, still wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

He stuck his head and turned his head towards the hallway that led out of the prison room and saw a guard laying facedown on the ground. He walked up towards the motionless guard and placed a hand on his back, gently shaking him. After that, he shook him more violently to see what would happen. Nothing. Cloud flipped the guard over and took a jumped back in surprised as he saw the guard's horrid face. His mouth and eyes were wide open as if something fearful had struck him and Cloud moved an inch closer to him. He placed a light hand on his neck, trying to find a pulse and found none. He took a few steps back and shook his head, trying to wake himself up to see if he was still dreaming, though he realized he wasn't and this was real.

"What happened?" asked Cloud to himself. He quickly raced back into his cell and saw Zack sleeping on the top bunker bed peacefully and called out towards him, "Zack! Wake up!"

"What? Mommy?" mumbled Zack as he slowly woke up from his slumber. As he raised his head, he moved at a quick speed that he ended up banging his forehead against the ceiling, "OW! MOTHER-" As Zack cried in pain, he accidentally rolled himself off of his bed and fell hard onto the cold ground face first, "OW! SON OF A-"

"Are you okay?" asked Cloud as he stared at Zack worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," grunted Zack as he got up rubbing his face, "Just that I banged my forehead on the ceiling and my face hit the ground. Other than that I'm peachy. Why are you up and yelling about? Are you that excited were about to be executed? Wait…is it execution day already?"

"Zack," groaned Cloud in annoyance and pointed his finger at the open door next to him, "Something's wrong. Look outside."

Zack gave a chuckle and place a hand on his forehead, shaking it side to side as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, "Look outside? Cloud, have you gone mad? You know we can't look outside. This is a cell. Silly Cloud…telling me to look-" As Zack turned his attention towards the door, he could only stare and saw the door was opened. He took a few steps and examined every area around it, wondering if this was real or some kind of a dream.

"When was the door opened?" asked Zack as he was still examining it and then slowly stuck his head out, fearing the door might close suddenly and decapitate his head.

"I asked myself that too, but something's wrong," replied Cloud as he stepped outside and pointed towards the lifeless guard on the floor.

Zack turned his head towards where Cloud was pointing at and examined the dead body that was in front of him. Zack then slowly stretched his boot towards the guard, poking him gently with the tip of it. He then placed his foot down and saw Cloud rolling his eyes at him.

"Hey! Haven't you seen any scary movies where the dead body is PRETENDING to be dead and when you get close enough, he'll jump you?" asked Zack as he glared at Cloud, though his only response was another eye rolling.

Cloud walked up towards the body once more, closing his mouth and eyes shut as he didn't like the face the guard was showing, and was patting his hand over the guard's clothes, "He should have the key on him…" It wasn't too long until he found what he was looking for and showed Zack the keycard in his hand, "Come on Zack. You get Aerith while I get Tifa and the others."

Zack nodded and Cloud tossed him the keycard. Cloud then walked himself towards Tifa's cell and once Zack was done sliding the keycard in, he tossed it towards Cloud and saw Cloud doing the same process he just did to Tifa's cell and then towards the cell where Barret and Red was.

As the door hissed opened into Aerith's room, Zack quickly raced inside and saw Aerith waking up from the noise she heard from the door. She then saw Zack next to her who was giving a bright warm smile to her. Aerith couldn't help herself but jump towards him, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"Zack!" cried Aerith.

"Hee hee, the one and only," laughed Zack as he wrapped his arms around her as well.

"Tifa…Wake up," said Cloud as he walked into Tifa's cell.

Tifa grunted and slowly brought herself up from her bed, rubbing her eyes and stared at the blond next to her, "Cloud? What's wrong?" Just then, something had hit her in the head and quickly stood up into her feet, hugging Cloud tightly, "Cloud! How are you in my cell?"

"Long story. Zack and Aerith are already outside. I'm just going to get Barret and Red," answered Cloud as he quickly led Tifa out, walked towards where Barret and Red were being kept at, and called out towards them, "Barret! Red! Wake up! Something's wrong."

Red's ears pointed up, twitching slightly as heard Cloud's voice and got up on all four, stretching his back and stared at the Cloud by his cell door, "I see you are awake and found a way to escape your prison cell."

Barret then started to wake up, hearing the commotion that was going around him. He gave a great big loud yawn and was smacking his lips, "Da hell is goin' on? I was sleeping peacefully too ya know!" He turned his attention towards Cloud and shook his head, wondering if he was staring at a hallucination, "Cloud? How'd you get in? Why's the door open?"

"Would you like to ask twenty questions or would prefer to get up and get out of here?" asked Cloud, not in the mood in answering everyone's question.

"Damn right I wanna get out!" yelled Barret as he quickly got up and raced out the door. Once he was out, he saw the entire party gathering around the dead body and couldn't help but yell at them, "The hell's goin' on!"

"Shut up! Are you trying to make us get caught?" yelled Tifa as she glared at Barret, watching him keeping his mouth shut.

"No human could have done this," mumbled Zack as he was examining the wounds on the guard's body. The guard seemed to have multiple cuts and slashes on the back of his body, nearly tearing off a large part of his uniform along with his skin. This kind of attack didn't come from a human as it almost looked like claw marks and the only explanation Zack could think of was that it must have came from a monster…

"Something doesn't feel right," replied Aerith nervously.

Zack sighed and got up on his feet, knowing Aerith was right. SOMETHING wasn't right, but he was still puzzled on what happened. This can only be done by a monster…right? But then again…where would have the monster itself come from and also, nothing didn't explain why his and Cloud's cell door was opened in the first place. Barret then squeezed himself through the party towards the guard and started going through his wallet, pulling Gil out of him.

"What are you doing?" asked Aerith as she looked over the man's shoulder.

"Pickpocketin' him. He won't be needin' Gil where he is goin'," replied Barret.

"What? That's not right!" yelled Aerith.

"Listen. I don't like pickpocketin' from the dead either. Not my kind of thing, but we need every money we can possibly get in order to survive," sighed Barret.

"Zack!" cried Aerith as she turned her attention towards the black-haired SOLDIER next to her.

Zack sighed and shook his head, staring deeply at Aerith, "He's right Aerith. Without money, we won't survive. We won't be able to restock on resources without Gil or sleep in an Inn. We gotta take every opportunity we have…"

"If we can get out of here that is," answered Tifa.

"Fine," mumbled Aerith weakly knowing she was beaten and stared back at Barret, "I don't even know who you are really."

"Da name is Barret Wallace," grinned Barret as he introduced himself and pointing his thumb back him, "I thank you for savin' my precious Marlene. I helped your good ol' boyfriend get you back from Shinra."

Zack gave a glare towards Barret, but Aerith giggled at the response she heard and smiled at Barret, "Thank you Mister Barret for saving me."

"None of that 'Mister' stuff ya hear? Don't like none of that," laughed Barret.

"Excuse me…"

Everyone turned their attention towards Cloud, who was standing next to a opened door, and saw him using his thumb to point inside the room, "Before we move on, aren't we forgetting something?"

The party moved towards the room Cloud mentioned and saw all their weapons and accessories in there, like they hit the jackpot. Barret grabbed and placed his bullets back into his gun-arm, Tifa place her accessories back on her, Cloud had both his rifle and sword, and Zack had his Buster Sword attached to his back. He felt happy knowing he had his mentor's sword back with him and couldn't bear losing it as it was the only thing he had left of Angeal. What caught Zack by surprised was when Aerith grabbed hold of some kind of retractable staff out of the room and was letting it hang down around her hip.

"Why do you have that with you?" asked Zack in confusion.

"Why are you so curious about it?" asked Aerith with a smile on her face.

"Has anyone seen Red?" asked Tifa as she looked around the area. Everyone then started to scan the area for the red beast, but saw no traces of him, "Don't tell me he went ahead?"

"Let's go look for him before we head off," explained Zack, which of course everyone agreed to and started heading out.

* * *

The floor was a complete disaster, scratch that, it was a massacre. Nothing but dead bodies lying on the floor. Aerith inched herself closer to Zack's back with Tifa walking behind her, and Cloud being last. Barret of course was actually the last one, but he was too busy focusing on robbing the people, obtaining more money from them. Aerith was still bothered by the idea, but had no choice but to ignore it. It wasn't too long until the gang saw Red at the storage room where they had first saw him in the glass container, staring at some kind of broken black container.

"Red!" yelled Zack. Red turned his head as he heard his name being called and saw Zack with his friends following close behind him and reaching him, "There you are! Don't scare us like that."

"Forgive me. I had no intention of worrying you all. I merely wanted to scan ahead and notify the situation to you all once I returned," explained Red.

"Just don't do that again," laughed Zack weakly, "So, did you find anything?"

"Yes…quite disturbing actually," sighed Red, "While you and your friends were talking, I smell blood in the air, lots of blood…meaning this massacre could be a lot severe than what we had just witnessed."

"So something IS loose. What is it?" asked Zack.

Red moved aside to show everyone what he was examining and saw Zack and Cloud giving a fearful expression on their faces. The black container with the huge hole where the door should have been was cracked open and a trail of blood was coming out of it. What made Zack and Cloud give that fearful expression was that it was the same container that was holding Jenova's headless body in…

"…It got away…didn't it?" asked Cloud, shaking nervously.

'_Jenova,'_ thought Zack.

"Is something wrong Zack?" asked Aerith as she placed a hand on his arm in worry as she saw that look in his eyes. Zack responded by placing a hand on top of her's, which made her even more worried and tried to look at him face to face, but it seemed he didn't want her to see him, "Zack?"

"Yo! You all won't believe how much money I'm gettin' from Shinra," yelled Barret as he walked towards the gang, but gave a confused look as he saw everyone being quiet, "What's with everyone bein' a mute?"

"Barret. Are you still digging for money?" asked Zack without turning his head to face Barret.

"If I find more people to pickpocket from, then yeah I'll be diggin'," said Barret.

"Alright. Red will be staying with you to give you backup just in case while the four of us follow this trail of blood," explained Zack.

"Ya…sure I guess," shrugged Barret, still confused on what was going on.

"The Jenova Specimen…Looks like it went up to the upper floor using that elevator further ahead," explained Red.

"Right. We got it from here, just stay with Barret and meet up with us when you can," replied Zack and slightly turned his head to face Aerith, "Make sure you stay CLOSE to me as possible…"

"What's going on? It's almost like you're hiding something," said Tifa.

Tifa then felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Cloud, slightly shaking his head to her, "Now isn't the time Tifa. Will explain everything after this whole mess…alright? So just trust Zack on this…"

"Cloud," mumbled Tifa softly.

"Let's move out," said Zack as he continued moving forward towards the elevator with Aerith, Tifa, and Cloud following close behind him.

* * *

As they continued following the trail of blood, the more they saw dead bodies all over the place and the damage around them. The bodies that Zack and Cloud examined each had the same horrid-struck expression on their faces: their eyes and mouth wide open, their body nearly being torn apart, and blood all over the place…you could almost call it an ocean of blood. Aerith covered her mouth in shock and Zack could almost see tears coming out of her eyes. He quickly went up to her and tightly embraced her against him, trying to give her support and telling her not to think about it.

"Zack," mumbled Cloud softly as he tapped his friend on the shoulder, seeing him turning his head to face Cloud, "I think this trail is heading up into Shinra's office. Why else would it be going up? I don't think it was trying to leave…"

"So it could still be here then," mumbled Zack, clenching his teeth tightly against each other while still holding onto Aerith tightly.

"Aerith…we need to stay strong," said Tifa as placed a hand on her female friend's shoulder and saw Aerith nodding weakly.

Aerith broke out of Zack's embrace and gave him a weak smile, telling him she was alright. Zack had doubts, but decided to return a smile with one of his own. The four then continued on, preparing themselves for a possible fight that awaited them at the top of Shinra HQ.

* * *

Zack and Cloud both entered President Shinra's office with their swords out and clutching tightly onto their hilts. Both males examined every bit of the area around them, trying to glimpse something in the room that was out of place. They found nothing and slowly pressed on. As they reached Shinra's huge desk, Zack and Cloud noticed a body on Shinra's desk not moving. Zack placed his Buster Sword against his back and slowly approached towards the body and examined it. Fear struck him as he realized this was the body of President Shinra himself…

Red and Barret soon arrived and Barret had his gun-arm up in the air, ready to fire but Zack quickly raised up his hand to stop him, shaking his head at him, "He's dead…The leader of Shinra Inc. is dead…"

"What could have done this?" asked Tifa.

"The wounds on Shinra's body, it's not the same that we saw on the other bodies down below," replied Zack as he was examining the body in front of him, "It was almost like he was cut and stabbed multiple times by a sword…though these sword marks look familiar…almost as if they came from…"

"Sephiroth," grunted Cloud angrily as he realized what Zack was talking about.

"…Sephiroth is alive?" asked Tifa as she covered her mouth in shock.

'_It can't be! It's not possible…but it almost looks like it. Judging by these wounds, only Sephiroth's sword can cause this much damage. But how? Why? I thought Cloud defeated him?' _thought Zack angrily.

"Argh! Who cares who did it?" yelled Barret, "This is the end of the Shinra now!"

Just then, Zack noticed a short fat man in a brown suit sticking his head out behind a pillar next to Shinra's desk. The man noticed he was spotted and quickly made a dash out of the office and Zack yelled out to the others to stop him. Cloud and Barret noticed the fat man and quickly grabbed hold of his arms, preventing him from escaping. Zack knew him, his name was Palmer and he had saw him during Shinra's meeting along with the other executives when they were trying to rescue Aerith.

"P, p, p, please, don't kill me!" whimpered Palmer in fear.

"We won't! All we want is answers," yelled Zack as he left the dead president's side and headed towards Palmer, "What happened?"

"Se…Sephiroth. Sephiroth came," whimpered Palmer, his face turning pale and his body trembling as he said that name.

"Did you see him? Did you see Sephiroth?" asked Cloud in fear.

"Yeah, I saw him! I saw him with my own eyes!" cried Palmer.

"You really saw him?" asked Cloud again, making sure he heard Palmer right.

"Would I lie to you at a time like this!" yelled Palmer as he was getting annoyed with the same question Cloud was asking him, "And I heard his voice too! Um, he was saying about not letting us have the Promised Land."

"Then what?" asked Tifa as she stared at Palmer in confusion, "Does that mean that the Promised Land really exists and that Sephiroth's here to save it from Shinra?"

"So, he's a good guy then?" asked Barret as he looked at his friends for answers.

Cloud clenched his teeth tightly against each other and shook his head, "Save the Promised Land? A good guy? No way!"

Zack nodded in agreement and was clenching his hand into a fist, "Cloud's right! It's not that simple! I know him! Sephiroth's mission is different!"

Just then, everyone in the room started to hear something from outside. They turned their heads to see an incoming helicopter heading towards them and landing on a helipad. Palmer broke out of his grip from Cloud and Barret while they were distracted and quickly left them towards the helicopter that had just arrived. The gang paid no attention towards Palmer as they didn't care much about him and continued staring at the helicopter in confusion. A young man wearing a white business suit with a matching white jacket over a black suit appeared out of the helicopter and was brushing his shoulder with his hand, wiping away the imaginary dirt off of him. He flicked his blond hair away from his eyes and started talking to Palmer who had just appeared next to him.

Barret's face grew pale and slammed his face with his left hand, "Rufus! &*%$! I forgot about him!"

"Who's that?" asked Tifa as placed her chin above her knuckle, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

"Vice President Rufus. The President's son," grunted Barret.

* * *

"So…Sephiroth was actually here," mumbled Rufus, "Appears my meeting with my father has been canceled. Fine. Palmer, go ahead and get into the helicopter. Will continue this discussion later."

Palmer nodded in haste and quickly ran towards the helicopter Rufus had just came out of. The helicopter started up once more and began taking up into the air, taking Palmer somewhere safe. As Rufus watched the helicopter leaving, he heard multiple footsteps running towards him and turned his head to see where it was coming from. He saw Zack and the party running towards them and going into a complete stop as Rufus had just spotted them.

"Who are you guys?" asked Rufus calmly as he placed both of his hands in the pockets of his trench coat, staring at his unexpected visitors.

"Zack Fair! Ex-SOLDIER 1st Class!"

"Cloud Strife and I'm from Shinra as well!"

"Barret Wallace, the leader of AVALANCHE!"

"Tifa Lockhart! I'm from AVALANCHE too!"

"I'm a specimen that goes by Red XIII."

"And I'm Aerith Gainsborough, the last Ancient."

Rufus shook his head and gave a weak sigh under his breath, "What a crew. Feels like the circus is in town." Rufus flicked a piece of his hair away from his face and stared back at the party, "Well, while we are introducing ourselves, it's only fair I do the same. My name is Rufus Shinra, the President of Shinra, Inc."

"You only President, 'cause yer old man died!" yelled Barret as he raised a fist.

Rufus gave a light chuckle, "That's right. Although I'm not officially president yet, the day will come. In the meantime, I'll let you hear my new appointment speech. Old man tried to control the world with money. It seems to have been working. The population thought that Shinra would protect them. 'Work at Shinra! Get your pay! If a terrorist attacks, the Shinra army will help you!' It looks perfect on the outside…But, I do things differently. I'll control the world with fear. It takes too much to do it like my old man. A little fear will control the minds of the common people. There's no reason to waste money on them."

"He likes to make speeches, just like his father," grunted Tifa as she glared at Rufus.

"Cloud…Get out of this building," mumbled Zack, "Take Aerith with you and protect her."

"What?" asked Cloud and Aerith in confusion as both stared at Zack.

Zack shook his head and glared at Cloud, not in the mood for an argument, "I'll explain later! Cloud, just take Aerith and go! This is the real crisis for the Planet!"

Barret gave Zack and weird look, not understanding what he meant, "The hell's that supposed to mean anyways?"

"BARRET! I'M NOT IN THE DAMN MOOD TO EXPLAIN!" snapped Zack which made the party take a step back, "I'll tell you later! Just take my word for it now! I'll catch up with you all after I take care of Rufus!"

"Ah…awright," said Barret as he was shaking nervously.

Cloud clenched his teeth tightly against each other, but knew there was no point in arguing, especially in the mood Zack was in. Cloud placed a hand on Aerith's shoulder and urged her to move on. Aerith nodded weakly, but still had that worried look on her face as she stared at Zack. Everyone soon followed Cloud's lead as they were out of sight and as Zack saw his friends leave, he focused his attention back towards Rufus.

Rufus shook his head and gave a light shrug as he stared at Zack, "Why do you want to fight me?"

"You seek the Promised Land and Sephiroth as well," answered Zack as he pointed his finger towards Rufus.

"Hm, exactly," chuckled Rufus softly and walked next to Zack, both being shoulder to shoulder, but facing opposite directions, "Haven't you heard of the phrase, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'?"

"Nope. The phrase I only heard was, 'The enemy of my enemy is still my enemy'," replied Zack.

"Mm? Did you know that Sephiroth is an Ancient?" asked Rufus.

"…Can't say I have. Though a lot has happened," said Zack, "Anyway, I can't let either you or Sephiroth have the Promised Land!"

Rufus shook his head once more in disappointment, "I see. What a shame. I guess this means we won't become friends. I was even willingly going to drop all charges that were placed on you by my father when he framed you and your friends. I was going to let you all have a second chance in life and live peacefully."

"Hm. The offer is tempting, I will say," mumbled Zack, "But, it doesn't matter. I'm still taking you down."

* * *

"I'm not going to leave him!" yelled Cloud all of a sudden as he came into a complete stop and facing towards the others, forcing them to stop as well.

"But Cloud," mumbled Tifa worriedly.

"Yo man! We need to move on!" yelled Barret.

"Barret, you take care of the others," said Cloud as he looked at Barret, "I'll wait for Zack. Just get to the elevators and will meet you at the bottom. Go!"

Barret gave a small curse under his breath, but overall gave a nod, and started taking the lead. Red gave a nod as well and was following close behind Barret. Tifa though still had that worried look on her face, but gave Cloud a quick hug before heading off. Once all three were gone, Cloud turned his attention towards Aerith who was standing next to him with a worried look on her face as well.

"Aerith. I'll wait for him and bring him back to you," smiled Cloud weakly.

"Cloud," mumbled Aerith softly. She stared at Cloud and gave him a tight embrace, which caught Cloud off guard and as she ended her hug, she gave out a warm smile, "Both of you come back to me safe alright?" Cloud slightly blushed what Aerith had said, which only made Aerith giggle weakly and gave him a playful punch to the chest, "You're still my bodyguard after all. But about the date…"

"Don't worry about it," smiled Cloud weakly as he placed a hand on Aerith's shoulder, "It won't happen. Just get out of here."

Aerith nodded and went off in sprint as fast as she could, trying to catch up the others. As Aerith was out of sight, Cloud gave a weak sigh and stood by the doorway, waiting for Zack.

'_Zack, you better be alright_' thought Cloud.

* * *

Zack was hiding behind a huge pillar, trying to catch his break from all the fighting.

"You're pretty good at fighting!" yelled Zack.

"Ha. I'm not like my father who is just into business," laughed Rufus from behind a pillar, across the room from where Zack was, "You said your name was Zack Fair correct?"

"What of it?" asked Zack.

"My brother spoke highly of you."

"Brother?"

"You know him quite well, he was the Director of SOLDIER."

"You mean Lazard Deusericus is your brother?"

"He is my older half-brother to be politically correct," chuckled Rufus, "He was a fool for funding Dr. Hollander with the company's money. Brought nothing but shame to the Shinra family name. Then again, so did my father too even though he didn't realize it."

"He was no fool," replied Zack, "Director Lazard was a great man, unlike you or your old man."

Rufus shook his head, "Why do you still call him Director?"

"He has done a lot for me," replied Zack.

"Hm. Is that so? Well, it doesn't matter to me. You should have joined me. Together we could have shape the future for our planet. A good SOLDIER like yourself would've accepted my offering," said Rufus as a smirk appeared on his face.

"I think I would be doing a lot more harm than good. Besides, I have this dream of becoming a hero. If I joined you I would be destroying my own dream," chuckled Zack.

"Oh well. No point in letting you live then!"

As Zack and Rufus jumped out of the pillar they were hiding behind, Rufus aimed his shotgun towards Zack and fired a couple of shots at him. Zack held his Buster Sword in front of him to shield him from the bullets and performed a quick dash towards Rufus. Zack lunged up into the air with his sword high up ready to swing at Rufus.

"I have you now!"

Right when Zack was about to finish him, Rufus extended his left hand up towards Zack and a white barrier appeared all around him. Zack's sword came into contact with the barrier and a powerful force pushed him away hard onto the ground. Zack grunted in pain, but quickly pushed himself up.

"What was that?" asked Zack.

"An improved Barrier Materia, developed by Shinra," explained Rufus, "Nullifies powerful physical attacks."

'_Argh. If only I had my old Materia from back then…this fight would be a pinch,'_ thought Zack angrily.

Rufus aimed his shotgun towards Zack and fired at him. Zack used his Buster Sword once more to give himself cover and hid behind a nearby pillar. Rufus reloaded his weapon and shot towards the pillar where Zack was hiding, removing a large piece of the pillar. Zack dodged it in time and took a big gulp as he saw the damage Rufus had caused.

'_That could have been my head if I haven't dodged in time,'_ thought Zack nervously.

"There's no point in hiding!" yelled Rufus. As Zack broke into a full sprint, Rufus aimed his shotgun was more at his target, "And no point running as well!"

Rufus fired and Zack slid himself into the next pillar, taking cover from the bullets. Zack cursed under his breath. Rufus wasn't giving out any openings and Zack couldn't risk having a hole in his stomach from his shotgun. His special Materia was also another problem. Even if he did get close enough, he'll only use it to protect himself.

"You're beginning to bore me now," groaned Rufus, "I was hoping more of a challenge from you."

"Big words coming from a guy who uses modified Materia to hide behind!" yelled Zack.

"It doesn't matter. I have more important matters to attend to, so I must bid you farewell" said Rufus as he gave out a grin and resting his shotgun against his arm.

"You're not going anywhere!" yelled Zack as he quickly ran out of the pillar and towards Rufus.

Before Zack could even get close enough, a black helicopter appeared outside, hovering next to the office window. Rufus ducked down and Zack quickly hid behind another pillar as it started firing inside the office. Zack groaned in frustration and as the firing stop, he slowly stuck out his head to see Rufus dashing towards the helicopter and hopping inside of it. He turning his head to face Zack with a grin on his face.

"I hope we meet again Zack Fair. I look forward in executing you myself, but I'm afraid I might not get that chance."

"Why is that?" asked Zack angrily.

"In less than 10 minutes, the entire Shinra building will be overrun by Shinra troops. You cannot escape," laughed Rufus and with that the helicopter hovered away.

Zack cursed his breath and placed his Buster Sword on his back and started sprinting to catch up with the others. There was no way he could deal with an army of Shinra, not again and not in a place like this. There was too much in stake. Red, Barret, Tifa, Cloud…Aerith. They all had to escape somehow or else they were going to a fight that was impossible to win at the moment...

* * *

Cloud lifted up his head to see his friend running down the stairs and waved his arm at him. Zack gave a surprised look on his face, wondering why he was still here and alone.

"I'm glad you're alright," said Cloud as Zack reached him.

"Where are the others? Where's Aerith?" asked Zack, "I thought I told you to protect her."

"You once never left my side and I didn't want to leave yours," replied Cloud, "The others are taking good care of her. What happened to Rufus?"

"I couldn't finish him," grunted Zack, "Looks like things are gonna get complicated."

* * *

"I'll go on ahead!" yelled Barret as ran towards the front door. As he stepped outside through the glass doors, he saw a large mass of Shinra soldiers aiming their weapons at him and quickly rushed back inside, yelling towards the others, "TAKE COVER!"

The army of Shinra started firing their weapons at the entrance of the building. The four took cover behind a counter, hoping it would protect them from the heavy shower of bullets.

"*&^%(*…were surrounded! I think they want us dead!" yelled Barret.

"What was your first speculation?" yelled Red as he placed his paws over his ears.

"There has to be another way out somewhere!" yelled Tifa as she tried to make her voice heard over the shower of bullets.

"Look! It's Cloud and Zack!" yelled Aerith as she pointed her finger towards the two males that were coming down the stairs.

Zack and Cloud rushed towards the party that were by the entrance and lucky for him, the shower of bullets had stopped, only for a moment. It was only a mere minute before they would charge in and start firing once more. Tifa and Aerith were in glee as they saw the two males being next to them.

"I'm glad everyone is safe," sighed Zack in relief.

"Ya, but not for long," said Barret as he shook his head.

"I know how we can get out of here," explained Cloud, "Everyone follow me!"

Cloud quickly got up and everyone soon followed close behind him. Cloud had lead them to a nearby stair that was descending down into the lower floors of the Shinra building and quickly descended down the stairs. A small keypad was keeping the door lock and Cloud used his small sword to puncture it, hoping the door will open. Lucky for him it did and went into the dark. He turned on the lights to light up the room and everyone realized Cloud had taken them to an underground parking lot.

Zack turned his attention towards a nearby gray box that was attached to the wall and went up towards it. Zack whistled towards Cloud, though it seemed he completely understood what he was being called for as Cloud quickly walked up towards the gray container and once again used his small sword to cut the padlock that was keeping it locked. Zack opened the box to see car keys inside of it and the number of where the vehicle was kept, so that saved them some time. Tifa grabbed a random key and Zack as well, both dashing off to where their escape rides were.

Tifa was the first to reach her vehicle and gave a soft cheer as it was a blue truck, enough to carry a few passengers. She walked towards the truck and inserted the key into the door, stepping inside, and once again inserting her key into the slot to start up the engine. She drove out of her parking space and drove towards to where the others were, stopping in front of them. Aerith stepped into the passenger side next to Tifa while Barret and Red climbed into the back. Zack had appeared in front of the others, a huge smile on his face like a child that was happy to receive his present, riding on a black colored motorcycle. There didn't seem to be enough in Tifa's truck for Cloud to ride on, so he decided to ride with Zack, taking a seat right behind him.

"What now?" asked Tifa towards Zack as she rolled down her window.

"Now we ride!" yelled Zack, his smile still not leaving his face, gunning the motor and speeding away with Tifa following him.

Zack did a few turns, following the arrows that was pointing towards the exit. He then saw a gate that was blocking their exit and turned his head slightly to the right to face Cloud sitting behind him, "I need you to shoot the contraption that is blocking our way out Cloud!"

"Right!" nodded Cloud, pulling out his rifle and aiming towards the machine.

Zack quickly stopped him, "Not now! We need to time this right! You shoot too early, Shinra troops will be swooping in! Shoot too late…well, we crash!"

Cloud nodded to Zack that he understood him and kept his rifle out, ready to fire. Zack then focused his attention towards Tifa and explained to her what Cloud was going to do. Terror was written all over Tifa's face and before Zack could give her the chance to argue at him, Zack went off at a high speed. Tifa cursed under her breath and had no choice, but to trust Zack and was following close behind him. As they got closer and closer to the gate, Tifa was beginning to worry, but Zack had that huge grin on his face and Cloud, who was remaining calm, was still holding tightly onto his fire. Cloud quickly fired a shot at the machine that was keeping the gate closed and everyone was out of the garage.

The Shinra troops that were outside were caught off guard by the sudden noise and saw a black motorcycle and a blue truck coming out of the closed parking garage. As Zack had pass by the large group of soldiers, he was sticking out his tongue at them and giving out his signature 'later alligator' look on his face before speeding away and entering the highway. The Shinra troops just stood there, dumbfounded at what just happened and quickly realized their targets were escaping. They got onto their own motorcycles and began a hot pursuit. Zack turned his head to see that they were being chased and couldn't help himself but give out a smirk on his face.

_'Catch me if you can Shinra!'_

* * *

**END OF: TRAIL OF BLOOD**

Finished! Sorry for the long wait folks. Didn't mean to take this long. I'm already working on the next chapter so maybe this might be a fast update. HOPEFULLY. Till then, just wait and see and leave tons of reviews (if you can, that is)! And thank you 'The Azu Soul Lilly' for leaving a review! I hope I get reviews from you other folks as well. And yes, the quote above was from Kingdom Hearts II when Sephiroth and Cloud meet. I just thought it would be interesting to put it down, you know, experiment with (not Hojo's way of course!). Well, leave a review!

P.S. I don't know if you guys like crossover stories, but if you got time and are interested, can you read my Inuyasha x Final Fantasy 7 story? It's called _'The Swords of the Four Warriors'_ and it's a complete rewrite of my old original story _'Inuyasha: Swords of the Warriors'_. Only if you are interested that is and got time. Don't like forcing people to do anything. And if you can, think you can leave me a review on how it is? If you can't, then that's fine too I suppose.


	14. CRAZY MOTORCYCLE CHASE

Thank you to Starlight AT, bookashade, and The Azu Soul Lilly for reviewing Chapter 12! I would give you all a cookie, if I could haha. I wish there were more people like you to leave a review and that was heartwarming as yours. I guess the reason why most people won't leave a review that just don't want to, they don't have an account, and maybe (at least in my opinion and most likely) more interested in those other 'What if Zack survived' story out there. Honestly, I know my story isn't that wonderful and I'm a little late on it, but I'm doing my best here to make in entertaining for you all. Anyways, enough talk. Here's what you all have been waiting for and I hope you will enjoy it!

* * *

**CHAPTER 013: CRAZY MOTORCYCLE CHASE**

The highway was filled with Shinra troops, riding their motorcycles, and chasing after their targets. Zack could see that the Shinra troops were closing on them and it would only be a matter of time until they would get overwhelmed. Barret was shooting at them, getting a good few hits on their motorcycles and making them crash into another, though no matter how many he took down, more kept showing up and taking their place.

"Damn! They just keepin'!" yelled Barret.

"Were you expecting they would just let us waltz out?" yelled Zack, giving out a soft chuckle.

"Humans and their driving capabilities!" grunted Red as he was sliding all over the back of the truck, "Are people always like this?"

"Not when their lives are on the line!" yelled Tifa as she was driving at a high speed.

The Shinra soldiers had begun pulling out their rifles and started firing towards the party, making the two vehicles quickly taking evasive maneuvering actions. Zack grunted and spun his motorcycle around, driving completely backwards while keeping his speed. Zack pulled out his Buster Sword and held it in front of him, using it as some kind of shield from the shower of bullets that were spraying towards them. Cloud then moved himself up and aimed his rifle, firing back towards them. With Cloud's incredible marksmanship, he was able to shoot down the motorcycles, making their riders crash hard onto the ground and into another. He quickly reloaded his rifle and started firing once more.

"You're pretty good at shooting, Cloud!" chuckled Zack loudly.

"If only I had what it took to make 1st Class," mumbled Cloud while he was firing.

"Hey! Remember what I said? So what if you're not an official 1st! It doesn't matter! You have the traits that show one! We're both ex-SOLDIERS and that's that!" chuckled Zack.

'_An ex-SOLDIER despite of being one, huh?'_

More Shinra troops continued popping out and this was annoying Zack. He placed his Buster Sword on his back and turned his head to face Cloud, "You take the wheel! I'm going to bring the fight to them!"

Cloud had a confused look on his face and soon knew what Zack meant. Before he could even argue how reckless that was, Zack quickly pushed himself up into the air, forcing Cloud to grab control of the motorcycle. Zack then landed on one of the Shinra trooper's motorcycle, completely catching him by surprised. Zack gave out a huge smirk on his face as he stared at his unexpected victim.

"You're about to be jacked!"

Before the Shinra trooper could even act, Zack knocked him off of his motorcycle and took control. The other Shinra troops moved up next to Zack, trapping him in the middle and pulling out their swords.

"You're dead!" yelled one Shinra soldier.

"You first!" smiled Zack as he pulled out his Buster Sword from his back and jamming it into the Shinra soldier's motorcycle.

The motorcycle that the Shinra trooper was riding on quickly dropped onto the road and the second trooper that was next to him swung his sword at him. Zack quickly moved further away from him, dodging the attack, and jammed his sword at the wheel, much like he did to the first Shinra trooper's motorcycle, watching him crash onto the pavement. Zack gave a cheerful shout, but his celebration was quickly cut sort as the Shinra soldiers begun firing at him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! That's no way to treat a hero!" yelled Zack angrily towards them.

Just then, Zack saw a few Shinra troops dropping into the ground, their motorcycles crashing against one another, bringing down more Shinra troops. It was almost like a domino effect, if one falls down then the rest will follow. Zack stared straight ahead to see Cloud driving towards him and making a quick U-turn, riding right next him while holding his rifle up.

"Thanks for the save!" yelled Zack smiling.

"You're unbelievable, you know that?" yelled Cloud angrily.

"I know right!" replied Zack, his smile still not leaving his face.

More bullets started firing at them and both males began taking evasive actions. As they were dodging every bullet at them, Zack jumped up back onto his motorcycle, this time seating behind Cloud and aimed his right hand towards the motorcycle that was sliding against the road that he just got off from, firing a small fireball towards it. As the fireball collided with the motorcycle, there was a loud explosion and took out some of the Shinra soldiers, though more still kept on coming out through the smoke, and continued pursuing after them.

Zack gave a loud sigh as he saw more Shinra troops, "They won't stop will they?"

"Not really," replied Cloud, "You're just going to have to knock each and every one of them out."

"Works for me!" laughed Zack as he pulled out his Buster Sword once more.

Cloud spun the motorcycle around, driving completely backwards as Zack did before. As the Shinra troops caught up with the two males, swinging their swords at them, Zack blocked each blow and slashed their motorcycles, making them crash to the ground. One by one, he was slashing at every grunt and every motorcycle that got near them, watching them crash onto the pavement. Though, no matter how many he took down, more kept showing up and taking their places.

"We need to retreat and be with the others!" yelled Zack as he blocked a sword attack from one grunt and quickly taking him out.

Cloud nodded and spun his motorcycle around in the correct position and drove forward, speeding away from the Shinra troops. They saw the blue truck still driving forward and in one piece, which made Zack sigh in relief. Cloud drove next to Tifa and Barret had started going gun-blazing again towards their chasers.

"Cloud! Zack! We got more company in front of us!" yelled Tifa.

The two ex-SOLDIERS stared up ahead and saw a couple of Shinra troopers driving towards them. Cloud drove up ahead, pulling out his rifle and shooting at the wheels of their motorcycles. One managed to dodge Cloud's bullets, but as he got close enough, Zack kicked him off and quickly jumped onto his motorcycle before it could fall into the ground. Zack decelerated his speed, driving directly behind the blue truck while Cloud was up in front leading the way.

"Cover the front, Cloud!" yelled Zack, "Barret and I got the back!"

Just then, a helicopter was hovering over them and Zack saw the door on the side of the helicopter opening. A Shinra trooper stood by the door and pulled out some kind of rocket launcher, resting it against his shoulder and aiming towards them. Fear struck Zack as he realized that the grunt was going to try and blow them up. The Shinra trooper fired a missile towards them and Zack quickly drove towards the right of the blue truck, kicking it hard to the left. The gang was able to dodge it as the missile came into contact with the pavement behind them, destroying a large piece of the highway and luckily stopping the troops for chasing them any longer. The highway was split into two different roads so Tifa and the others were now on the left side of the road, however, Zack got separated from them when he pushed the truck away to safety and ended up on the right side of the road.

"Zack!" yelled Cloud as he saw his friend on the other side.

"Take good care of Aerith and the others! I'll find another way to meet up with you guys!" yelled Zack and after that, he disappeared inside of a tunnel.

* * *

"Damnit," grunted a red uniform soldier as he saw their targets driving away in the night.

"Sorry about that sir! I didn't mean to do that," said the soldier as his voice was coming out of the radio.

"All Shinra troops. Return to HQ immediately. I repeat. All Shinra troops. Return to HQ immediately," said a new voice in the radio.

"What? But they are getting away!" yelled one Shinra soldier officer towards his comlink that was inside his helmet.

"This is from the order of Rufus Shinra. Failure to comprehend will lead to dire consequences," replied the voice, "We cannot risk the life of the Ancient."

The commander cursed under his breath and ordered his men to fall back to base. Before they even knew it, two black colored motorcycles quickly passed by them, driving away into the night, and somehow were able to jump over the hole on the highway, landing on the other side and driving away. The commander gave out a surprised look on his face and soon heard the voice again in his helmet.

"Leave this to the professionals."

* * *

Zack turned his head to look behind him to see that he was no longer being followed. He hoped the others all right. He had to quickly find a way to get back onto the same road with the others. Zack then heard a motorcycle from behind him. It sounded like it was on its own and was heading straight towards him. He saw a black colored motorcycle closing in on him and also saw that the rider wore a black suit with black colored helmet that covering his entire face.

'_A Turk huh? Must be Rude,'_ thought Zack.

"Rude! I know what I did to Reno was wrong, but you got to understand, I wasn't myself!" yelled Zack, "You know I didn't mean it! You know I'm not like that!"

He didn't respond. Instead, he threw a punch at him, and Zack quickly dodged it.

"I said I was sorry! Say something! Don't give me the silent treatment!"

He threw another punch as he got close to Zack, only to see Zack dodging it again. Zack grunted to himself and moved closer to the Turk, throwing his own punches at him, and seeing the Turk block it with his arm. Soon the two were locked in a one handed fist fight while driving their motorcycles at the same time.

* * *

"Where's Zack?" asked Aerith as she lowered her window.

"He'll be fine! I know he will be!" replied Cloud, "We'll catch up with him! Till then, I'm not leaving you all alone!"

"Yo! Incomin' motorcycle!" yelled Barret as he pointed his finger towards a black colored motorcycle, the rider wearing a matching black suit and helmet that covered his face.

"I think it's one of those Turks!" said Red next, "Shinra appears to be, how you say…" He stared at Barret with his good eye, "Bringing out the big guns?"

"Haha! Good one!" yelled Barret with a smirk on his face and faced back towards the lone Turk, "It's only one! How bad can he be?"

He began firing towards the Turk, only to see he was dodging it will ease with quick maneuvering moves. Barret gave out a glare and started firing once more, only to see him dodging his bullets again. Barret became more upset and continued firing at the Turk, hoping to shoot him down. The only time Barret stopped firing was when he ran out of bullets and as he soon realized he was empty, he gave out a loud curse.

"You shouldn't have wasted your ammo," snapped Tifa, "Now we're sitting ducks!"

"At least we still got Cloud," smiled Aerith. As she said that, she saw Tifa giving out a soft smile and nodding towards her.

Cloud seemed to know what they were getting at and moved himself towards the back of the truck. The Turk moved closer to Cloud and started throwing kicks at him. Cloud was able to dodge his kicks by maneuvering his motorcycle around and pulled out his small sword, swinging it at the lone Turk.

* * *

Zack continued dodging every attack the Turk was throwing at him and returning with one of his own, though the Turk wasn't giving him any hits and didn't seem to be showing any signs of exhaustion. Zack grunted in annoyance and pulled out his Buster Sword, holding tightly to the hilt of the sword. He then swung it at the Turk to give them distance between each other and also was trying to damage his motorcycle. He had no time to deal with this and wanted to quickly catch up with the others. The Turk had to move further to the side to avoid getting hit by Zack's sword and pulled back, driving right behind him. Zack gave another grunt and snapped his fingers together as he just thought of an idea.

He placed his sword on his back and quickly dashed to the side, extending his left hand towards the road and firing some kind of ice beam at it. The road turned to ice and the Turk was too late to realize what the ex-SOLIDER was trying to do. His motorcycle started turning on its own and violently, losing complete control of it. He jumped off it and landed onto the hard road surface, watching his motorcycle crash against a wall and exploding into flames. Zack soon entered back into the highway and was out of sight, leaving the Turk alone. He just stood where he was and placed his hand inside his pocket, pulling out a black cell phone, flipping the cover up and started texting.

* * *

Cloud continued swinging his sword at the Turk and dodging every attack the Turk threw back at him. When the Turk pushed himself further away from Cloud, he felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. He dug one hand inside his pocket, flipping it open, and saw he got a message. He opened the message and read it, seeing it only say: Need pick up.

The Turk closed his cell phone, placing it back in his pocket, and drove away. Cloud raised an eyebrow, wondering what had just happened and then saw another motorcycle entering the highway from a nearby entrance. It was Zack and he was still in one piece. Zack saw the party and quickly drove himself next to them on Aerith's side. Aerith was in glee as she saw Zack and wanted to hug him, but of course that was impossible to do at the moment and it was best to wait.

"You guys all right?" asked Zack.

"Faced a little trouble, but we're safe for now," replied Cloud.

"Same here, but don't worry! We just gotta keep driving ahead and will be home free," laughed Zack.

* * *

"Took you long enough," said the Turk as he saw his partner pulling up next to him.

"Shut up. I'm here aren't I?" replied the second Turk angrily, "Still can't believe the predicament you're in."

"I was caught off guard!" yelled the first Turk, "Now let's hurry up and catch up to them before Tseng gets upset."

The Turk sat right behind his partner and the two quickly headed off, back to chasing their targets once more.

* * *

"It's a dead end! How we suppose to leave now Zack?" asked Barret in anger.

"Don't yell at me! I didn't know the highway would end like this," replied Zack, raising his own voice back towards Barret.

Tifa saw a construction crane near the end of the road and a cable that was reaching down towards the ground below them. She whistled towards the others, getting their attention, and pointed her finger towards the machine.

"We can use that to get down."

"One problem miss…I don't have hands," said Red as he walked towards Tifa.

"No problem! I'll carry you down," answered Barret.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? You only have one hand," said Red, his voice sounding worried on the idea.

"Got no choice Red," said Zack, "You and Barret will be the first to go down. After you guys will be Aerith, Cloud, Tifa, and then I'll be last."

Everyone nodded in agreement and headed towards the cable that descended down into the ground below them. Barret was the first to go with Red hanging around his shoulders. Red was still nervous with the idea of being carried by Barret, but had no choice to trust him as they descended down. Next was Aerith's turn and she slowly slid herself down the cable. As Cloud went towards the cable, he heard a motorcycle heading towards them. Tifa and Zack seem to hearing it as well and turned their heads around, seeing a black motorcycle heading straight at them. As it got close, it came to a complete stop and the engine was shut off.

Zack gave a grunt as it was the Turk again, but soon gave a confused look as he saw another Turk getting off as well. There were two Turks? It couldn't be Reno knowing he broke his arms and was in no condition to fight, so who were they?

"Rude?" asked Zack in uncertainty.

The Turk that sat behind his partner on the motorcycle slowly lifted his helmet up and placed on top of the seat of the motorcycle. The Turk had brown hair and the front side of his hair was somewhat spiky. He had some hair growing under his chin that could be barely be noticeable and what Zack had just noticed was that he looked a little taller than Rude and more muscular.

"Do I look bald to you?" asked the brown haired Turk.

"You're not Rude!" yelled Zack as he jumped back in surprise. He looked towards the second Turk and noticed the other Turk was shorter than the brown haired Turk, almost like he was in the same height as Tifa. Though, his body seemed slender and almost looked…feminine? He pointed his finger towards the second Turk, "And who are you?"

The Turk slowly removed his helmet and Zack again jumped in surprised. He wasn't a he…he was a SHE…if that even made sense at all. She ran her fingers through her long black hair to brush it and placed her helmet on top of her motorcycle.

"My name is Viper," answered the female Turk, introducing herself.

"And the name is Abel," said the muscular Turk next.

"Great…more Turks," grunted Tifa.

"Both of you get out of here! I'll handle them," said Zack as he took his battle stance, grabbing the hilt of his sword and holding it tightly, though was still letting it rest against his back.

"Not alone you won't!" yelled Tifa as she moved next to Zack and raising her fists.

"It's too dangerous!" yelled Zack.

Tifa raised her finger towards Zack's face, only being a few inches away, and gave a glare, "Don't you dare gave me that kind of lecture." She lowered her finger and gave a smirk. "Besides, I've haven't had a good fight for awhile now."

"But Tifa," said Cloud, though Zack raised his hand to stop him and saw him giving a smile towards him.

"I'll take care of Tifa, just take care of Aerith for me. And here, I don't think I will need this, so take good care of it until I get back."

Zack removed his Buster Sword and handed it towards the Cloud. As he grabbed it, he couldn't believe the weight of it. He had little or no trouble holding it though, surprisingly. It was just that, how could Zack swing a huge sword like this with ease?

"I knew this sword was heavy…but I never thought it would be THIS heavy," said Cloud as he placed the Buster Sword on his back.

Zack gave out a smile and rubbed the bottom of nose with his finger, "That's because it's filled with honor and dreams. Who knows? Maybe someday, I'll pass down that sword to you as that sword has been passed down to me…"

Cloud lowered his head, not wanting to think about that day he nearly lost his life. He went towards the cable and slowly climbed his way down towards the others, leaving Zack and Tifa alone with the two Turks. The four people stared at each other like it was some kind of showdown and were clenching their fists tightly.

"This will be an excellent fight," grinned Abel.

"I don't know how an ex-SOLIDER like yourself was able to beat Reno and Rude, but I'll see to it you get the same treatment as you gave to Reno," glared Viper.

"I didn't mean to hurt Reno! I don't even remember it!" yelled Zack in defense.

"I don't think they'll listen to you Zack," said Tifa, "Let's just hurry up and take them out!"

Zack gave a small grunt and took his battle stance as the others around him did the same. Everything fell to complete silence and the four were once more in a staring showdown. Soon after, they started charging at one another, locking themselves into a fist fight match. Zack was fighting Abel while Tifa was taking on Viper. It was interesting to note that it was only Abel and Zack having a fist fight while the two females were having a kicking fight.

Abel was throwing punches towards Zack, only to see he was quickly dodging them with ease. Zack gave a smirk as he noticed the Turk's flaw. He was powerful, but due to his size and strength, he was slow. With Zack's quick reflexes and the power of SOLDIER than ran though his veins, this fight would be over in no time. As he saw an opening, Zack quickly dashed towards Abel and gave a powerful punch to his chest. Zack gave a grin, but it soon disappeared and was replaced with shock. His punch didn't seem to faze him and saw Abel returning a grin of his own back at him. He slammed his fist towards Zack, only to see him dodging it and having contact with the pavement. As his fist hit the ground, it made a small, but a somewhat deep crater. Zack started to sweat drop nervously, realizing this fight wasn't going to be that easy as he thought it would be.

Viper and Tifa were trying to kick one another, though each attack they threw ended up being blocked by their own kicks. The two females were clenching their teeth and pushed themselves back away from each other. Viper brushed her hair aside, giving out a smirk.

"I swear, how do you do it? How can you fight like that?" asked Viper as she pointed her finger at her clothes, "It's ridiculous!"

"None of your business!" yelled Tifa.

Tifa dashed towards Viper and threw a kick at her, only be blocked with one of her attacks. Viper twisted around, doing a 360-spin kick towards Tifa, but Tifa raised her arms up to block the attacks, pushing Viper away. The female Turk regained her stance and charged towards Tifa, unleashing deadly quick kicks at her, but Tifa was able to dodge them.

Zack though was having a difficult time with Abel. Due to his muscular built; Zack couldn't throw an effective attack. Rude did say the Turks had to go through serious training, but this was ridiculous.

He rushed forward and extended his left elbow out, slamming it against the Turk's chest. Abel gave a grunt, but it still wasn't enough to bring him down. Abel interlocked his hands with one another, raising them both up above his head and swinging it down towards Zack, slamming it against the top of his head. Zack grunted in pain and instantly dropped onto the floor. Abel then picked him up by the hair and grabbed hold of his face, slamming his back against the pavement. Zack grunted in pain and Abel then lifted him off the pavement, holding a few inches off the ground, holding tightly onto his face.

"You disappointment me ex-SOLDIER," said Abel as he kept his grip on Zack's face, "To think someone like you can beat a veteran like Reno." He heard a response from Zack, though it sounded like a grunt, which made Abel tilt his head. "You say something?"

Abel loosen his grip on Zack's face, enough to hear me, but still holding tight onto his prey. He saw Zack giving out a weak smirk at him.

"How would you like a boot to the face?"

Zack raised up one of his legs, slamming the bottom of his boot against Abel's face. He gave out the first kick, then the second, third, fourth, and finally the fifth blow. The fifth kick was effective enough to let Abel break his grip on him and giving him the chance to give distance between the two. Abel cried in pain as he was holding tightly onto his face. As he lowered his hand, Zack could see a small blood trail coming out of his nose and as well the bruises he gave to him.

"I'll crush you for that ex-SOLDIER!" yelled Abel with a death glare.

Zack gave out tiring breaths, but had that taunting smile on his face and gave that 'come and get me' hand gesture, "Bring it!"

And with that, the two males charged towards each other, going into an all-out brawl once more.

* * *

"They've been up there for far too long," said Cloud as he stared up at the highway above him.

"Perhaps they need some assistance," answered Red as he looked up as well.

"Zack…please be alright," whispered Aerith softly to herself.

"Well, what we do?" asked Barret.

"You just stay here and protect Aerith. I'm going back up to help them," said Cloud as he lowered his weapons on the ground, along with Zack's Buster Sword.

"What? You nuts spiky!" yelled Barret.

"But Cloud," said Aerith as she watched Cloud walking back towards the cable and ready to climb up.

"I'll be back before you know it," answered Cloud. After that, he started climbing himself back up into the highway.

* * *

Tifa fell hard onto the ground as Viper threw a successful spinning kick at her. Tifa cried in pain and tried to bring herself back up, but the female Turk quickly kicked her back down to the pavement. Viper brushed her hair aside and stared down at the female fighter as she was struggling to get back up on her feet.

Abel had Zack by the neck as he had his back against the pavement. Zack was struggling to break free from his grip, but Abel wasn't letting up and felt his grip getting tighter around his neck, making it even more difficult to breathe.

"This ends here ex-SOLDIER," grunted Abel.

Just then, a random punch came out of nowhere and it was able to push him off of Zack. Zack then started choking, gasping for precious air. He lifted himself up to see Cloud standing in front of him with his back turned at him.

"Cloud!" yelled Zack in surprise, "I thought I told you to protect Aerith."

"I figured you needed help and it looks like I was right. Don't worry, Barret and Red are keeping a close eye on her," replied Cloud.

"Pretty good punch. I got to say I'm impressed," grunted Abel as he pushed himself back up and glared towards Cloud.

"Cloud. This guy is tough, it's best if we handle him together," said Zack as he pushed himself back up.

"No. It's best if I handle him. You just take Tifa out of here," said Cloud as he took his fighting stance.

"You're insane! You can't handle two Turks at once! Remember, you're still under training!" yelled Zack.

"Just get Tifa out of here. I'll hold them off as long as I can until you get back!" yelled Cloud.

"Damnit," grunted Zack.

Zack clenched his teeth and looked at Tifa, who was still struggling to get back up. He stared back at Cloud and back towards Tifa. She needed medical treatment and all their supplies were with the others and due to his condition, he wouldn't last any longer against Abel, much less two Turks at once. Cloud looked like he was strong enough to give him some time to heal up for a little while.

"Hold them up for at least a minute!" yelled Zack as he raced towards Tifa picking her up and letting her rest on his back, "You better be all right when I get back!"

Zack rushed towards the cable and quickly slid himself down below the highway. Cloud gave a soft smile under his face as he saw Zack taking Tifa to safety. He turned his attention back towards the two Turks that were walking towards him, watching Viper stand next to her partner with one hand resting on her hips.

"Your 'girlfriend' wasn't able to bring me down and your ex-SOLDIER pal wasn't able to bring Abel down. What makes you think you can handle the two of us alone?" asked Viper.

"Because I'm Cloud…SOLDIER 1st Class," replied Cloud as he gave a glare and his eyes giving out that light green glow.

* * *

"Tifa!" yelled Barret as he rushed towards Zack, watching him lower Tifa gently to the ground.

"Her wounds do not seem serious, but she does need to be healed," said Red as he examined Tifa.

"Aerith, take care of Tifa. Cloud's up alone and I need to go help him!" yelled Zack as he got back up.

"But your wounds Zack! We only have one Cure Materia," explained Aerith as she stared at Zack in worry.

"I'll be fine! Just give me a potion and I'll be good as new!"

"A potion will only heal a little of your strength," said Red as he looked up towards the SOLDIER.

"Don't care! Just give it to me now!" ordered Zack, not in the mood for an argument.

Aerith was still concerned, but nodded in agreement. She looked through their supply bag and handed Zack two small blue bottles, "One is for you and one is for you Cloud when you get up there."

Zack quickly drank his potion and tucked the second bottle in his pocket. He rushed back towards the cable and started climbing himself back up into the highway to fight with Cloud, leaving the others alone.

'_Just hang on Cloud! I'm on my way!'_

**END OF: CRAZY MOTORCYCLE CHASE**

* * *

Yes, the Turks from Before Crisis are going to make an appearance, and yes, that means Cissnei is going to make an appearance, but not until later in the story. Now instead of going by their weapons (which will be kind of silly in my opinion), I decided to give them actual names, but of course some of the characters will keep their weapon name.

Martial Arts (Female) – Viper (her attacks are based on kicks…so I thought Viper would be perfect…like a snake…hisssss)

Martial Arts (Male) – Abel (his attacks are based on punches…honestly couldn't think of anything and Abel just popped up. Mostly because I just thought of Abel and C. Viper from Street Fighter…names belong to Street Fighter which is owned by Capcom)

Nunchaku – Kidd (Uh...only thing I could come up with and I have no reason for anything on this character)

Knife – Knives (Not much different, but come on! Doesn't it sound better than just Knife?)

Gun – (I've decided to let her keep weapon name since I think it sounds fine and I already used her name in the Tseng chapter)

Rod – (Same as Gun, I'll let him keep his weapon name)

Two Guns – Duo (It does mean two and sounds cool)

I haven't decided a name for Shotgun and Katana. Give me some time to think of a name for them or if you guys want, you can give me your ideas on what their names should be for them. Legend…um, I'm not too sure if he'll make an appearance, but it is most likely he will and if that's the case, I'm going to keep his name, but he won't appear for a LONG, LONG time. So for now, just send me your ideas for Shotgun and Katana's name when you leave a review and of course I'll give you credit for the name. Other than that, hoped you enjoyed it! And for those who haven't heard of Before Crisis, you can look up the story in the final fantasy wiki since I think that's the best place to look up anything that's about final fantasy or watch the English translation of it on youtube.

P.S. I tried my best on making the fighting and chase scenes detailed as possible, but I don't think I did so well on it. I also felt like a few parts when by too fast, but what can you do? They are hard to write, probably only to me though…but I hope you liked it and if you don't… oh well. I tried to add some elements from Advent Children into the story so I'm hoping it came out okay. Also, this will be the last update for awhile. I got a quiz coming up next week, a final exam the week after that, and an essay, so I need to study and write that essay. Sorry folks, though after that, summer break for me and fast updates from that point on! So please leave plenty of reviews! Thank you and see you all soon!


	15. ON THE RUN

You already know I have no rights whatsoever for Final Fantasy 7 and you also already know to support the official release.

Here you go folks. The chapter you have been waiting for. Sorry for not updating. I had surgery in my mouth. Getting your wisdom teeth removed is not very pleasant at all. Though I'm glad I am feeling better now. This was kind of a rush update so expect some errors here and there. I did reread my chapter though just to make sure I did get rid of the errors, but I might've missed a few so please don't get mad at me. Anyways, enough talking, go ahead and start reading.

* * *

**CHAPTER 014: ON THE RUN**

"All Shinra troops. Return to HQ immediately. I repeat. All Shinra troops. Return to HQ immediately."

"What? But they are getting away!"

"This is from the order of Rufus Shinra. Failure to comprehend will lead to dire consequences…Leave this to the professionals."

Tseng flipped his cell phone off and placed it back in his pocket. Tonight couldn't get any better. President Shinra was dead, Jenova had somehow left the building, Sephiroth turned out to be alive, Reno was still recovering from his injury, Zack being pursued...again, everything. The list kept on going and going. There seemed to be no end to it.

"I hope he doesn't interfere with your work Tseng," said Rufus as he was sitting across from him inside the helicopter.

"I promise you sir he will not," replied Tseng, "By the way. Why all of a sudden you want me to call back the Turks?"

"I need someone I can trust and there is no one else in company besides the Turks."

"You do not trust your father's staff?"

"Those ignorant fools are too loyal to my father, despite him being dead and me becoming the next president of the company."

"You fear an overthrow by them?"

"Ha, hardly. But still, can't be too careful around those idiots. That's why I need the Turks. After all, you owe me for sparing you from my old man."

"And we thank you for that sir. The Turks are at your service."

"However, the rest of the Turks besides you, Reno, and Rude, will work for me in the shadow. I can't have anyone know that the team is getting back together."

"Yes sir, understood. But with Reno's condition, he won't be able to fight for the time being. He still needs to recover."

"Very well then. Add a new member to your family to take his place. I believe her name was Elena."

"Gun's sister? She is still going through training."

"Then today is her lucky day. Contact her immediately to get herself ready."

"Very well sir…"

* * *

"Argh!"

Abel fell hard onto the ground, clenching tightly onto his stomach. He couldn't believe how powerful that punch was that Cloud had just given to him. The black haired SOLDIER he faced earlier wasn't that much of a problem, but this one, the blond male he was facing now, he was more stronger and in a whole new league.

Abel grunted in pain and pushed himself off the pavement, crouching on one knee to give him support. He saw Viper panting heavily a few inches in front of him while facing Cloud, who was just standing there looking at her. It was almost like he was toying with them or didn't see much of them as a treat. Cloud looked like he wasn't even tired at all. Viper clenched her teeth tightly against each other, giving Cloud a death glare not to underestimate her, but it seems it didn't faze him much.

"Don't you dare get cocky stupid SOLDIER!" snapped Viper, though she got no response from him and saw him still staring at her.

Viper lunged towards Cloud, throwing a high-kick at him, but Cloud quickly blocked it by raising his right arm up. Viper froze in place and saw Cloud quickly grabbing her leg, tossing her towards Abel, making the two crash hard onto the pavement.

Zack couldn't believe what he just saw. He came back up into the highway to help Cloud, but saw how he was taking them both on with no problem. He dug onto his pocket and pulled out a small potion bottle, staring deeply at it.

'_What's wrong with me?'_ he thought to himself.

_You're weak and he is becoming stronger by the day. _

_Look at yourself. _

_The only thing you are doing is just sitting there and watching him fight. _

_He is becoming a better SOLDIER than you now._

Viper pushed herself off of Abel and got back on her feet, along with Abel doing the same thing. The two Turks were breathing heavily, exhausting from all the fighting. Cloud just stood there and continued to stare at them, not a single sweat on him still. He didn't seem to use a lot of his strength in the fighting and he was just toying with them. Those eyes of his gave that eerie green glow and were creeping Abel out. They were, completely emotionless, not a soul in them. He wondered if this was the power of a true SOLDIER, but he got curious as he stared at Zack. He heard stories about him, hearing how strong he was and being one of the best SOLDIERS. But when he fought him, he wasn't as he heard him to be...It bothered him for some odd reason.

Viper grunted and was ready to attack until her phone started to vibrate in her pocket. She pulled it out and flipped it open, seeing she got a message from Tseng. She opened the message and began reading it...

_**Let Zack and the others go.**_

_**Return back to HQ.**_

_**I will handle this personally.**_

_**-Tseng**_

Abel noticed her partner reading the message she had received and tilted his head in wonder, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. We need to let them go," grunted Viper.

"What?" asked Abel in surprise, "But the mission!"

"We got no choice," said Viper as she gave out a sigh and shaking her head in disbelief. She stared back at Cloud and Zack and pointed her finger at the two, "Don't think you're off the hook just yet! Next time we meet, you won't be so lucky SOLDIERS!"

Viper and Abel turned their backs on them and walked towards their lone motorcycle, both getting on, and driving away. Cloud took a sigh and crouched onto one knee, groaning and covering his entire face with his right hand. Zack quickly rushed towards them and placed a hand on his shoulder in concern, noticing a green glow coming from his eyes and quickly reverting back into his blue eyes.

'_What was that?'_ thought Zack as he saw the green glow disappearing.

Cloud turned his head to the side to face Zack and noticed he had a worried look on his face, "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Sorry," said Zack quickly and shaking his head, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," replied Cloud as he got up, "How are the others?"

Zack gave a sigh of relief and stood up as well, giving out a small smile towards him, "They're fine too. Everyone's waiting."

Cloud nodded and headed towards the cable with Zack following close behind him. Cloud grabbed onto the cable and slid himself down, leaving Zack alone. Zack couldn't help himself, but get lost deep in his thoughts. What had just happened? What was happening to HIMSELF? He knew he was stronger than this, but something was way off. His fight with Reno and Rude, he remembered being completely exhausted and then everything becoming black. Next thing he knew, Tseng had told him he had broken Reno's arm. Now his fight with Abel...he could still feel the power in his body, but it felt like it was farther away from him, like it'll only come when it wants to come. Zack stared up straight ahead and could see the sun slowly rising up. He then looked at his two hands as he held them in front of his face, almost like he was talking to them.

"Angeal. Something is going on and I don't know what's up. I wish you were still around to give me answers…"

Zack grabbed hold of the cable and slid himself down to reunite with the others. As he reached the ground, he saw Aerith quickly rushing towards him and giving him a tight hug. Zack couldn't help but give out a soft smile and return the hug back towards her. He then saw Cloud checking on Tifa, who had regained her conscious, and asking her how she was feeling. Tifa responded with a soft smile and told him she was alright. Cloud nodded and grabbed hold of his equipment, along with Zack's Buster Sword and offering it back to him.

"Thanks Cloud," said Zack as he broke out of Aerith's embrace and placing his sword on his back.

"So what now man? Rufus is finished right?" asked Barret as he walked towards Zack with his arms crossed.

Zack shook his head, "No. He got away before I could end it. However, we still have more fighting to do."

"Because of this Sephiroth guy right?" asked Barret, seeing Zack reply with a weak nod.

Tifa and Cloud were in complete silence as they heard Sephiroth's name and Aerith had that worried look on her face as she stared at the two. She was about to say something until Red showed up into the group.

"I suggest we make haste and leave this area before things get complicated."

"He's right. Let's head towards Kalm. It's northeast from here," said Barret as he pointed towards his finger at the direction they need to be heading. Once he lowered his hand down, he faced back towards the group, "We need a group leader for our journey. 'Course only me could be the leader."

"You think so?" asked Tifa.

"It would have to be Zack," said Aerith as she gave a soft smile.

"Say wha!" yelled Barret with his mouth opened in disbelief, with Zack doing the same thing as he stared at Aerith in shock.

"Cloud? What do you think?" asked Tifa as she looked at the blond.

He responded with a light shrug, "I think it would be best."

"Well, if you think that's a good idea, then sure, why not," replied Tifa with her hands on her hips.

Both Barret and Zack focused their attention towards the two, their mouths still wide opened. Barret then stared at the four-legged wolf-creature, who only gave out a somewhat shrug.

"It does not matter with me. Just pick and choose so we may leave at once."

"^#$^%...awright," groaned Barret in defeat, "Fine. The kid is our new leader…"

Zack scratched the back of his head and then gave out a light smile. He nodded towards the gang and slammed a fist into the palm of his hand. As he took a few steps ahead of the gang, he rubbed his thumb right underneath his nose and waved his arm at the group.

"To Kalm then folks!"

* * *

"I sure hope you do know what you're getting yourself into Tseng," said Rufus as he had his arms crossed over his chest with his head lowered and his eyes closed as if he was sleeping.

"I would like to deal with this problem personally," replied Tseng.

"Do what you must and I expect no failures from you," grunted Rufus.

"Yes sir, thank you sir," said Tseng as he gave a nod. He pressed a number on his phone and soon after, it began to ring. It wasn't too long until he heard a voice on the other line.

"Hello?"

"It's Tseng. I know it's been awhile, but there is something you need to know…"

* * *

"Damn, this hill is freakin' annoyin' yo," groaned Barret as he was trying his best to climb over the huge hill, "I don't understand why we need to climb this damn thing and why we couldn't just go around it!"

"If we went around it, it would take even longer to reach Kalm. The journey is rough, but at least we save time if we use it," replied Red as he was jumping over every rock and reaching the top first.

"You alright Aerith?" asked Zack as he looked up above him.

"I'm fine," responded Aerith.

As Cloud had reached the top of the cliff, he offered his hand towards Aerith, which she took as she reached him, and pulled her up. Tifa was next, then Zack, and lastly Barret, who was breathing heavily from the climbing

"Damn…huff…puff. Hate climbing," grunted Barret.

"It's good for you," laughed Zack.

"Yea whatever," grunted Barret.

As the gang began heading off once more, Zack noticed Cloud standing at the edge of the cliff with Midgar just in the horizon. Zack slowly walked up towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder, which made the blond male turn his head at him.

"Something the matter?" asked Zack.

"Yeah…this is the same place…where you almost died."

Zack grew silent and studied the area around him. He couldn't believe this really was the exact place where he fought off an army of Shinra troops. To think he was escaping to Midgar, now he was leaving Midgar. No matter where he ran, Shinra would always be after him. Now he had Aerith involved in this whole mess. It was also hard to believe he nearly left Aerith alone…

_There he is! After him!  
_

_You got nowhere to run now.  
_

_You're finished…_

_BANG!_

Zack clenched his teeth tightly against each other and gripped tightly onto his chest. To think this is where it almost ended for him. He shook his head and placed a firm grip back on Cloud's shoulder.

"Let's not worry about that anymore, Cloud. I'm here now. That's all that matters," said Zack as he let go of Cloud and started walking away.

Cloud stared at Zack as he walked away and then back towards Midgar. It was possibly the last time they would ever see it. He held tightly onto the strap of his rifle and turned around, quickly catching up with the others.

* * *

"I can't believe we're finally here!" yelled Barret with his hand and gun-arm up in the air as he and the rest of the gang reached the entrance of Kalm.

Tifa quickly walked up behind him and slapped him at the back of the head, "Keep your voice down and stop yelling!"

Barret groaned in pain, which made the others laugh, only to hear Barret cursing under his breath. The gang soon stared to tour themselves around the town, checking the stores, and wondering what to buy. With the amount of money Barret had snagged from Shinra building, it was enough for an inn, something to eat, and of course enough to get supplies. With new and better equipment in their possession, along with some extra Materia, there would be fewer things to worry about. Zack wanted to quickly buy the things they needed to get because he wanted to leave town as early as possible the next day. After buying their needed supplies, they headed towards a nearby inn and bough a room. Zack was able to convince the innkeeper let Red sleep in a room with one of them, telling her he was a pet, which he saw Red giving out a soft glare towards him. Tifa and Aerith had their room, Barret decided to let Red sleep in the room with him, and Zack and Cloud with a room of their own.

The day had passed by and the evening had begun. With everyone freshen up, their stomach full of food, and their supplies ready for tomorrow, they all met at the inn lounge area. Red was curled up next to a wall, Tifa, Barret, and Aerith each had their own chairs to sit on, Cloud stood behind the chair where Tifa sat, and Zack lean himself against a nearby wall.

"Guess everyone's here now," said Aerith as she examined the area around her, seeing everyone was in the room together.

"So let's hear both of your story," said Barret with his arms crossed over his chest, "You know, the one about Sephiroth and the crisis the planet is facing. Let's hear it all."

"Sure," nodded Zack.

"Actually, before you talk about all those things Zack…could you tell us…how you and Cloud met?" asked Aerith cutting off Zack.

"You know what, I'm curious to know too. Is it alright if you tell us?" asked Tifa.

"How two spiky heads met huh? Sounds good to me," said Barret nodded.

Zack scratched his head and turned his attention towards Cloud, "What you think, Cloud?"

"It's up to you," replied Cloud.

Zack gave a smile and nodded, soon performing his usually squats. After a few number of squats, he stood back up and stared at everyone, making sure he had all their attention, "Alright. This is how it all began…"

**END OF: ON THE RUN**

* * *

Ok, you know the drill. Leave a review and I'll try to update as soon as I can. I wish I wrote the chapters first before publishing a story…then I could update every week with no problem. Well, next time when I work on a story, I'll do that. Anyways, it was a little speedy so hopefully you guys don't mind.


	16. ON THAT DAY FIVE YEARS AGO

This is a fanfiction for pure entertainment. I don't own any rights to FF VII blah blah this and blah blah that.

Anyways, here is the next chapter you all have been waiting for. Hope you will enjoy it.

* * *

**CHAPTER 015: ON THAT DAY FIVE YEARS AGO**

"Yo! Don't fall too far behind now!" yelled out Zack. He then quickly turned around and looked at the infantryman next to him, "At least someone's keeping up!"

"Well, I'm a country boy too," replied the grunt.

"From where?" asked Zack as he came into a complete stop.

The grunt stopped as well and turned around to face Zack, "Nibelheim." Zack responded with a laugh and the grunt continued, "How about you?"

"Me? Gongaga!" Zack heard a chuckle from the troop and gave him a soft glare, "Hey, what's so funny about that! You know Gongaga?"

The grunt stopped chuckling, but was still trying to fight off his laughter, "No, but its' such a backwater name."

"Ditto Nibelheim!" replied Zack as he rolled his eyes. He turned his back on the infantryman and started walking on the mountain trail.

"Like you've been there."

Zack turned around to face the grunt once more and shrugged his shoulders, "I haven't, but there's a reactor there, right?" The grunt nodded and Zack continued, "A mako reactor outside Midgar usually means…"

"…nothing else out there."

"…nothing else out there."

Zack and the grunt looked at each other and burst into laughter as they responded the same thing at the exact time. He stopped laughing soon after, but still had that smile on his face and turned his attention towards Tseng as he was lagging behind them.

"Good news, Tseng! Me and…"

He turned his attention towards the grunt and saw him slowly removing his helmet, showing his blond spiky hair with a light smile on his face.

"Cloud."

Zack gave a brighter smile and looked back at Tseng, yelling out towards him, "Me and Cloud here are both backwater experts! Oh yeah!"

Tseng gave a sigh and shook his head, "Good! Carry on then!"

* * *

"We were on mission together…Our orders were to retrieve Professor Hollander from Genesis in Modeoheim. Tseng, Cloud, and I…" explained Zack.

"Tseng? Ya mean that Turk that blew up the pillar in Sector 7? The one who kidnapped Aerith? Ya were friends with that guy?" yelled Barret in shock.

"Barret, hush!"replied Aerith as she pressed a finger on her lips to show Barret to keep quiet.

Zack scratched the back of his head, "He was…different back then. I don't know what happened to him that made him change…but yes, he WAS my friend…"

"You mention Genesis once when we were in the Shinra building. Who was he?" asked Tifa.

"One of the greatest SOLDIERS, along with my mentor Angeal…and Sephiroth," replied Zack.

Zack continued on, explaining further about his mission, everything he knew about Genesis, his fight with him, how Genesis threw himself into the darkest depths of the reactor, then his fight with Angeal…the day he acquired the Buster Sword from him.

Aerith remembered that day. How she saw him sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, his head lowered, and hearing him cry. She never heard or seen him like that before. He was always happy and had that silly smile on his face, never once leaving from it. She was happy to see him like that, but having that memory of him being so sad…she wished she could hug him like she did before, comfort him and hold him close to her…

Zack then told the story of how Genesis survived and launched an attack on Junon, aiding Hollander's escape. After that, they had a mission to investigator a reactor. Zack noticed Tifa clenching her fingers against the arm chair with her head lowered and pieces of her hair covering her eyes. Zack was silent for a moment and shortly thereafter, continued on, explaining how he, Sephiroth, and Cloud were being assigned to Nibelheim. Now it was Cloud's turn to lower his head…

* * *

"So, how does it feel? To be home after all this time?" asked Sephiroth as he looked at Cloud as they reached the main entrance of Nibelheim. Cloud remained silent and lowered his head with his helmet on him and Sephiroth continued with a light smirk on his face, "I have no hometown. I wouldn't know."

Zack looked at Cloud and tilted his head, "Why are you wearing your helmet?"

Cloud stared down at the ground and mumbled, "It's…personal."

"Weirdo," chuckled Zack quietly and quickly stopped as he turned towards Sephiroth and asked him with a question of his own, "Um…what about family?"

Sephiroth turned around to face Zack, "My mother's name is Jenova. She died shortly after I was born. My father…" All of a sudden, he started laughing. Zack had never heard him laughing before and for some odd reason, it made him nervous. Sephiroth rubbed his forehead and shook his head, "Why am I talking about this? Come on, let's go."

* * *

"Yo wait a minute!" yelled Barret, "Isn't that, um…? The name of Sephiroth's mother…" It took a minute for Barret to finally realize where he had heard of her. "I remember Jenova! That's that damn headless spook livin' in the Shinra building!"

Zack nodded, "That's right."

Aerith looked at Barret and crossed her arms, "Barret, would you please let us hear what Zack has to say? You can ask questions later."

Barret raised up his hand and gun-arm in defense, "Aerith, I was only…"

"Okay Zack, continue," smiled Aerith as she looked at Zack, cutting off Barret. Barret lowered his head and the gang started chuckling softly.

Zack smiled softly and nodded. Before he continued, he looked at Cloud really quickly and asked, "Hey Cloud. I always wondered, why did you wear your helmet when we got to your hometown?" Cloud remained silent and Zack scratched the back of his head, "Sorry for asking."

Cloud shook his head and sighed softly, "The truth is…I was embarrassed."

"Embarrassed? What for?" asked Aerith.

Tifa looked up to see Cloud and Zack tilted his head in wonder. Cloud turned his head slightly to the side to avoid everyone's gaze, "I was a low rank grunt. My dream was to become a 1st Class SOLDIER and become a hero like the great Sephiroth…as great as Zack. I passed the physical test, but it was the mental test I failed…"

"There are tests to be a SOLDIER?" asked Barret.

"Yeah, the physical and mental tests. You need a strong body to endure the surgery and a strong mind to control the raw mako energy that is implanted in the body. I had seen reports on cases where the surgery went horribly wrong because of the patient. If your body is physically weak, the mako energy literally destroys your body from the inside. If your mind is weak, the patient will go completely mad from it to the point of no recovery. That's why they have strict and high standards for people joining the SOLDIER program," explained Zack.

Cloud shrugged to himself, "Guess I have a weak mind then…"

"Wait yo! I thought you were in SOLDIER?" asked Barret sounding surprised as he stared at Cloud.

"Cloud?" asked Tifa softly.

"I'm confused as hell!" yelled Barret in frustration.

Tifa and Aerith stared at Cloud and Zack, lost as well. The two friends remained silent and before one of them could speak, Red quickly cut them off.

"I would like to hear the original story we were on please," mumbled Red.

Everyone stared at Red, surprised to hear him say something. They saw him slowly wagging his tail up and down, still curled up like a ball against the wall, and his good eye closed. They could easily mistaken him sleeping.

Zack nodded to himself and focused his attention to the others, "I'll get to that point eventually. Let me just finish this part of the story first…"

Aerith and Tifa weakly nodded and Barret sighed, but nodded in agreement as well. The gang listened in silence as Zack continued on.

* * *

"Once the guide gets here, we're heading out," explained Sephiroth.

As he had said that, a middle-age man walked up towards him, "Listen to me, Sephiroth. In case something happens…"

"…Trust me," replied Sephiroth.

Just then, a young girl appeared wearing a cowgirl outfit. She brushed the imaginary dirt off of her skirt and fixed her hat, showing a bright smile on her face, "I'll be all right dad! I have two men from SOLDIER with me. I'm Tifa, nice to meet you!"

"You're our guide?" asked Zack in disbelief.

"At your service!" smiled Tifa, "Nobody is a better guide than me in this town."

"It's too dangerous! We can't involve you in something like this!" yelled Zack.

"Then there's no problem if you protect her," said Sephiroth as he started to walk, "We better start moving."

x*x*x

The journey to the mako reactor in Mt. Nibel was a difficult one. The place was infested with monsters and the worst part of the journey was when they reached the bridge. The bridge had split apart and the team fell down below.

Zack had grabbed Tifa and cushioned her fall by being on top of him as they fell. He checked for any injuries and sighed in relief as she was unscratched. Tifa pushed herself off him and Zack quickly got onto his feet. It wasn't too long as they were soon reunited with Sephiroth and Cloud.

"Everyone seems to be all right," said Sephiroth. He examined the area and looked at Tifa, "Can we get back to where we were?"

"These caves are intertwined, just like an ant farm," explained Tifa. She checked the area around her and back towards Sephiroth, "Oh…there seems to be one person missing…"

"It may sound cold, but we've got no time to search for him. We can't go back now, so we must go on. We'll travel together from here," explained Sephiroth.

The team of four started heading out and continued their journey to the Mt. Nibel mako reactor. A few monsters were blocking their path as they were walking, but one by one they were easily taken down by both Sephiroth and Zack. Cloud slowly walked up to a nearby monster, but Zack quickly stopped him.

"Stay back, it's just knocked out. It could wake up and start chowing down on you!" warned Zack. Cloud quickly backed off and laughed at him, "Sorry about that. Use brings about wear, tear, and rust. So usually, I just hit with the blunt side of my sword."

Cloud nodded his head and Zack could have sworn he saw a small smirk on Sephiroth's face as he mentioned that…

It was a long walk, but the gang eventually made it as they reached the foot of the stairs to the mako reactor.

"Whew. We finally made it. We sure took the long way though," said Tifa.

Sephiroth stared at Zack and saw him nodding towards him. Zack slowly walked up to Tifa, "Tifa, you wait here."

"I'm going inside too! I wanna see!" whined Tifa as she placed her hands on her hips.

Sephiroth shook his head at her, "Only authorized people are allowed in. This place is full of Shinra's industrial secrets."

"But!"

"Keep an eye on her," said Sephiroth as he stared at Cloud.

Cloud stood at attention and gave a salute towards Sephiroth. As the two 1st Class SOLDIERS went inside, Tifa quickly tried to catch up with them, but Cloud blocked her path and raised his hand to stop her. Tifa stomped her foot and crossed her arms, sticking her tongue at him.

"You better take real good care of me then!"

She could have sworn she saw a smile.

* * *

"Sephiroth and I went ahead with our investigation," explained Zack, "Inside we saw monsters inside these pods. They were infused with mako energy, but their mako energy levels were exponentially higher than an "average" SOLDIER. Hojo was the one who created them…"

He went on explaining how Sephiroth was questioning his own existence, wondering to himself if he was human or ever was one to begin with. Then he explained Genesis's return and telling Sephiroth he was a monster and that Jenova herself was excavated from a 2000-year-old rock layer, that the Jenova Project was used for all experiments relating to the use of her cells. He was labeled under Project S as a successful monster…

* * *

After the attack Genesis launched on them, Cloud ended up unconscious after all the fighting. He was quickly carried back to town and taken to the inn room to rest. Cloud and Zack soon heard that Sephiroth confined himself inside the biggest building in Nibelheim, Shinra Manor. Zack had found a secret passage in one of the bedrooms on the second floor and told Cloud to wait behind for him. He journeyed himself to the deepest part of Shinra Manor, reaching the basement and accessing a secret lab where he saw Sephiroth reading a book. As Zack went to approach him, Sephiroth slightly shook his head at him, as if he knew of his presence.

"I would like to be alone," mumbled Sephiroth softly.

Zack wanted to object the idea, but decided it was best to do what he said and left.

From that day, Sephiroth shut himself inside Shinra Manor…and proceeded to review document after document, like a man possessed. The lights in the basement never went off…and then the seventh day came. The Nibelheim Incident.

The entire town was burning. The townsfolk were screaming in fear and running in panic. Zack emerged from the Shinra Manor and Cloud came out of the inn, both racing to the middle of the town. Zack went off to help a boy's mother that was trapped in her burning house and Cloud went off to another house, his home. Zack had emerged with the mother in his arms and set her down with her son. Zack soon spotted Cloud coming out of a nearby burning house and saw him collapsed into his knees. Zack quickly rushed to his side and could see tears running down his cheek under his helmet. Cloud…lost his mother. Zack held him close to him, letting his head against his shoulder, trying his best to comfort him.

"It's you! I hope you are sane!" yelled Zangan, Tifa's mentor, as he ran towards the two with a man lying against his back.

"Like I could stay sane in a situation like this," replied Zack. He remained silent for a moment and spoke softly, "Sephiroth…did this, right? People have called him a hero and such in society…" He bit on his lips and broke his embrace with Cloud and stood back up , "But, he's just a homicidal maniac!"

"You need to go on and rescue Tifa for me!" yelled Zangan, "She headed for the mako reactor in the mountains in search for her father. Sephiroth is there too. That girl won't have a chance against him."

Zack stared at Zangan worriedly and Cloud quickly stopped crying as he heard Tifa being in trouble. Zangan explained he would go after her himself, but with the entire town burning, he had to save the people first. Zack nodded in agreement and prepared to head off, but Cloud quickly stopped him, blocking his path.

"Let me go with you!" yelled Cloud.

"Cloud…I need you to stay here. Zangan won't be able to save the entire town on his own. Help him first and once you're done, head towards Mt. Nibel," explained Zack.

Cloud grunted in anger, but nodded in agreement. Zack quickly raced off towards the mako reactor while Cloud stayed behind to help in any way he could…

x*x*x

Zack rushed towards the top of Mt. Nibel, heading to the mako reactor while the village below him was burning away. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. Sephiroth had gone completely mad, killing the town folks and left complete destruction. There was a lot of confusion in his mind, things that didn't make any sense to him, but right now it wasn't the time to think about those kinds of things. Right now he had to find Sephiroth and stop him.

As he reached inside the building structure, he noticed a woman in front of him, kneeling down next to a man's body with a long sword lying on the ground near him with a bloody mark on the tip of the blade. She was crying, holding the man's head against her. It was Tifa.

"Tifa," said Zack softly as he slowly walked towards the girl.

"Papa…He killed him. Sephiroth killed him and many of the town's folk," mumbled Tifa.

Zack remained silent and before he could say another word, Tifa's voice changed. From sobering to a voice filled with anger and hatred. She gently laid her father back down and picked up the sword, tightly clutching it. She eyed at Zack with burning hatred.

"Sephiroth. Shinra. SOLDIER. You. I hate it. I hate all of it!" yelled Tifa.

With that, she turned her back towards Zack and went to chase after Sephiroth. Zack tried to yell after her to stop, but it seemed she couldn't hear or that she was ignoring him. Zack bit his lips and hurried after her, trying to stop her knowing that she didn't stand a chance and that Sephiroth will kill her.

x*x*x

Zack had his back against one of the pods, nearly crushing it completely. He tried to reason with Sephiroth, but he wouldn't listen and the two were locked into combat with one another. He barely stood a chance against him and the next thing he knew, he saw something passing by really quickly. The blur quickly grabbed onto his sword and lunged himself into Sephiroth, impaling right through him. Sephiroth was completely off guard from the attack and cried in pain as the sword was removed off of him. As Sephiroth fell onto the floor, Cloud raced out of the Jenova room, throwing his helmet aside and headed towards Tifa, carrying her out of the way.

Cloud smiled softly to himself as he saw Tifa was alright. Despite the long cut on her chest, it wasn't that deep. He then focused his attention towards Zack. He was badly injured, but he tried his best to give Cloud a thumbs up sign, trying to tell him he was fine.

Sephiroth emerged out of the room, carrying the head of Jenova on his right hand while he carried his Masamune on his left hand. He grunted in pain and growled at Cloud down below him, "Y-You bastard…To be beaten…by the likes of you…"

He carried himself down the steps and out of the pod room, leaving Cloud alone with Zack and Tifa. Cloud heard Zack grunting and told him to go finish off Sephiroth. Cloud grabbed hold of the Buster Sword and rushed after him. Sephiroth was on the bridge and before he took another step, Cloud called out towards him.

"SEPHIROTH!" yelled Cloud angrily.

Sephiroth froze in his place and as Cloud rushed towards him, Sephiroth quickly raised his sword up and pierced it through Cloud.

"Don't you…test me," growled Sephiroth, lifting him up above the ground.

Cloud grunted in pain and lifted up his arms, grabbing hold of the blade. Sephiroth stood in awe and saw him pushing himself down, his feet connecting with the ground.

"I…respected you…admired you! I wanted…to become like you! But now," grunted Cloud.

Sephiroth had fear in his eyes and tried to lift him back up or at least pull his sword out of him, but Cloud wouldn't let him and tighten his grip on the sword, ignoring the blood that was streaming out of his hands.

"You've done it alright. I will…never…forgive you!" yelled Cloud.

"What the hell are you?" asked Sephiroth as he continued staring at Cloud, fear paralyzing him.

Cloud lifted Sephiroth from the other side of where he was holding his sword and threw him across the room, making him crash against a wall, and watched him fall into the mako below him. Cloud pulled out the sword out of him and collapsed on the bridge, his vision becoming black and losing his conscious.

* * *

"Wow. You got your ass kicked by Sephiroth and spiky here just stabs him in the back, gets impaled by him, and yet somehow throws him into a pit of mako! Remind me not to get on his bad side," chuckled Barret.

"But it doesn't end there does it?" asked Aerith as she stared at Zack.

"That was five years ago…what happened to you two after that fight?" asked Tifa, "Zangan told me he rescued me from the mako reactor, but he also told me that when he went back to get you two, the entire place was infested with Shinra scientists."

"Also, back in the Shinra building, Tseng said something about your 'death'. What did he mean by that?" asked Aerith worriedly.

Cloud lowered his head and Zack crossed his arm, sighing weakly under his breath, "The story still continues…it's time you learn, how I 'died'."

**END OF: ON THAT DAY FIVE YEARS AGO**

* * *

Whew! Done. How was it? Some parts were longer than necessary and some parts were kinda quick. I changed a few scenes here and there, trying to match things with the original Final Fantasy 7 gameplay, Last Order, and Crisis Core gameplay. It's kinda hard when those three have complete different versions of one another despite being the same thing. Just to let you know, this 'flashback story arch' will be made into three chapters, one of course being this, so that means two chapters left! It's just a recap. I'm sure most of you know how the story goes, but I felt like it might be necessary, you know, just to build up the plot a little more. At least for me and my story. Anyways, leave a review! Good or bad! All are welcome! :)

Also for the process of becoming SOLDIER, I don't know. Just made stuff up. I would think SOLDIER only have mako energy implanted in them that increases their capabilities. I thought that was what Zack said in Crisis Core. I did some research and it just said, well for Sephiroth's case, scientist used the genes of Jenova to create a human-Cetra hybrid and Sephiroth ended up having incredible abilities along with the mako energy implanted him. I don't know. With so many Projects here and there, it's kinda hard to keep up with all these kinds of information. Guess this is why I like the FF7 more than Crisis Core. I'm saying I didn't like it, it was/is a fun game to play. I'm just saying I didn't like all these extra information Square decided to put in the game, but I guess it was kind of important to put, especially when they added the G Files in Dirge of Cerberus that first introduced Genesis...And I really need to stop talking. Leave a review!

P.S. I like the way how Zack says Gongaga...GONGAGA!


	17. THE PRICE OF FREEDOM

Here it is! Part two out of three of the flashback-arch! I tried to put all three versions together, the original from FF VII, Last Order, and Crisis Core. I know Last Order isn't canon, but still. Thanks to Irish-Brigid for giving me the info on the SOLDIERs. I also did a rewrite of the prologue to match with this chapter since I kind of screwed it up a bit. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

**CHAPTER 016: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM**

'_Argh…where…where am I?'_ thought Zack.

He slowly opened his eyes only to see he was inside some kind of machine filled with a water-like liquid with a unique green color. He was somehow able to breathe in it without drowning inside of the machine, but right now he felt weak and could barely utter a word. He turned to the left and saw another man with blond spiky hair in the same tube he was in, but noticed he was unconscious. It was Cloud. He shook his head and tried to remember what happened, but everything was a blur. Then it struck him in the back of the head.

'_I remember the fight with Sephiroth and losing to him,'_ thought Zack. He looked back up towards Cloud, _'Cloud. You did it. You beat Sephiroth.'_

Just then, Zack heard a door open and saw a man with a lab coat holding a tray of food. As he set the tray down, he went up to the tube Cloud was in and pressed a few buttons on a keypad. The water that Cloud was in dissolved away and Cloud sank to the bottom of the tank still unconscious. Zack quickly closed his eyes pretending he was still unconscious and heard the man walking up to him, pressing the keypad on his tube. As the water dissolved away and hearing the tube's door slide open, Zack quickly opened his eyes. The man in the lab coat jumped and froze in place as Zack lunged at him, knocking him out with one punch.

"Sorry about that," mumbled Zack.

Zack saw his sword resting against a wall nearby his tube and went to retrieve it. Once he placed his Buster Sword on his back, he went towards Cloud and lifted him up, putting his arm around his neck as he held him around the waist for support and slowly walked out of the room.

x*x*x

Zack and Cloud were able to retreat back into the Shinra Manor after the fighting with the Shinra grunts that were outside. Nothing wasn't making any sense. He could have sworn Nibelheim was burnt to the ground. He remembered feeling the heat and hearing the people screaming. Something wasn't adding up. Somehow, Nibelheim was still standing as if nothing happened to it. Were the townsfolk able to rebuild their homes? And how were they able to build it in such a short matter of time? Better yet, how _**long**_ has it been after that incident?

Once in the mansion, Zack took Cloud to one of the bedrooms and placed him down on a nearby bed. Cloud was in a terrible condition. He examined the blond to find out he was exposed to mako energy…and by the looks of it, it seems he was exposed to too much of it.

'_Could this be mako addiction…?'_ thought Zack, _'Angeal…Am I just not capable of saving anyone?'_

Zack shook his head and clapped his hands together, giving out a weak smile towards Cloud, "First things first. You need a change of clothes. Those mako-soaked clothes will definitely not help you on your road to recovery."

He checked around the room to find any decent clothes for Cloud to wear. It was then he finally found what he was looking for. He pulled out a SOLDIER 1st Class uniform and showed it to Cloud.

"Put this on. It may not smell very good, but we can't be too picky right now," smiled Zack.

Once Zack changed Cloud's clothes, he gave a small clap as if he accomplished a great task.

"You look pretty good with that," smiled Zack softly. He walked up towards Cloud and lifted him back up, holding him tightly against him, "Well…off we go."

* * *

"Nibelheim isn't destroyed?" asked Tifa, completely surprised and Cloud had the same expression on his face.

"Yeah. I can't explain how or why, but when we got out, the entire place was rebuilt like nothing every happened, but it was swarming with Shinra grunts," replied Zack, "I honestly don't know what was going on…"

"Damn those Shinra! They probably had something to do with it huh?" grunted Barret.

"Not sure, but most likely," sighed Zack.

"Zack…please continue," mumbled Aerith softly.

Zack stared at Aerith and saw she was focusing on the floor below her. She wanted to hear the entire story of what happened to him during all these years and of course she had every right to hear it…

"…Sure."

* * *

They were traveling through the forest, hoping to lose the Shinra peacekeepers. As Zack was carrying Cloud, he wasn't paying much attention to notice Cloud's feet was dragging on the ground and tipping over a large root that was sticking out of the ground. Zack quickly caught him as he felt the unbalance and lifted him back up against him.

"Whoops. My bad," smiled Zack. He held Cloud closer and tighter against him, "I want to let you rest, but it seems like we don't have the time for that."

Just then, he heard three peacekeepers running towards them, two of them running on top of a tree branch above them and one running straight at him with his back facing him. He gripped tightly onto his Buster Sword, quickly pulling it out and swinging it with one hand at the two peacekeepers above him as soon as they jumped down at him. The lone peacekeeper froze for a second and lunged himself towards Zack with his sword held high above him. Zack dropped Cloud and dragged the tip of the Buster Sword on the ground, lifting it up into the air, instantly finishing off the grunt with one blow. As the coast was clear, he placed his sword on his back and walked up to Cloud, carrying him back up.

"Like an average grunt can take me on," laughed Zack and then smiled at Cloud, "Right?"

"There they are!" yelled one troop.

Zack groaned in annoyance, "What a bunch of persistent guys."

The grunts began firing at the two males with their rifles, hoping to get a hit on them, but Zack held tightly on his sword, using it as a shield to protect them from the bullets.

"Like it'll hit me!"

He continued running and jumped off a nearby cliff, landing in the water down below with Cloud next to him.

x*x*x

"Damn it! There's no end to this!" groaned Zack as he continued carrying Cloud next to him. He set Cloud down on the ground, hiding him behind a large boulder, "You wait here a minute. I'm gonna take a look around so don't go anywhere okay?"

Zack of course knew Cloud wouldn't respond back, but couldn't help himself but show a soft smile at him. He got up on his two feet and headed off to make sure the coast was clear. He wouldn't be able to fight to his full strength if he was carrying Cloud around.

x*x*x

"Huh…Where do I go from here?" asked Zack as he stared at the beach in front of him. Can't do much when I got Cloud to worry about…Angeal…what should I do?" All of a sudden, he gave out a small smile, "Hey, Cissnei. Been a while."

Cissnei quickly stopped and stared at the black haired SOLDIER with his back facing her, "Zack…The fugitive sample…is it you?"

"It would appear so," replied Zack with a light smirk on his face, though Cissnei wasn't able to see it.

"What did they do to you in that place?"

"Well…this and that…" Zack stopped short and turned around to face the female Turk, "So, Cissnei, you're here to take us back, right?" Cissnei remained quiet and Zack clenched his teeth, "Please, just walk away! I thought we could outrun the army, but the Turks are a different story!"

Cissnei whispered softly and pulled out her red shuriken, aiming it towards Zack, "I'm sorry…This is my job. If you want to escape, you have to…"

She threw the shuriken at him and watched it as it went straight towards him. Zack quickly pulled out his Buster Sword and used it to block the incoming attack, brushing it aside like it was nothing and watched it sticking out of the sand next to Cissnei's feet. She stared at her weapon and back towards Zack, slowly walking towards him, only to be stopped by Zack by lifting up his sword an inch higher and aiming at her.

"Step back! Next time…I'll really have to…" glared Zack and stared running off, heading back towards Cloud and leaving Cissnei alone at the beach.

* * *

"I soon met Cissnei again later on. At first I thought she was going to notify the other Turks of our location, but she came to help us. She loaned me her motorcycle to use to escape from the Shinra…though it wasn't too long till I met with Genesis again. He then told me on how I was a test subject in Hojo's new experiment…that a modified version of Jenova's power runs though me," explained Zack.

"The hell does that mean?" asked Barret.

"Honestly. I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that whatever I had inside of me, it was what Genesis wanted," replied Zack.

"They performed experiments on you?" asked Aerith in shock.

Zack nodded weakly, "I can't remember exactly. Just bits and pieces of it…I don't know if I should be relieved I don't remember any of it or angry that whatever Hojo did to me, it's affecting my mind…"

"Zack?" whispered Cloud softly. Zack turned his attention towards him and Cloud continued, "I was part of Hojo's experiment…wasn't I?"

Zack was quiet for a minute and nodded weakly, "Yeah, but you were in a severe condition. Probably from the vast amount of mako energy they put in you and whatever the things they did to you at once. Since I already had the mako inside of me from the beginning I was in SOLDIER, I wasn't affected by it probably. Though like I said, I can't remember what they did…only bits and pieces of it…"

"What happened next?" asked Aerith.

"I was in Gongaga…Since I was there, I might as well check my parents to see how they were doing, but of course I knew Shinra would probably be waiting for me there since it's my hometown. Unfortunately, I was right, but it was only Cissnei. She told me my parents were fine and there were reports of Angeal being sighted around the area. As Cissnei left me alone, it was then I spotted a glimpse of Angeal and chased after him. Though, I only ended up meeting with Genesis again and Hollander, suffering degradation as well…"

* * *

"Hollander?" asked Zack completely surprised, "You did it…to yourself?"

"Yes, after nearly being killed by Genesis. It was really all I could do to survive," explained Hollander weakly, "I merely borrowed some cells from Genesis…"

"You know, you're…degrading."

"Indeed, but there is still some hope," said Hollander as he stared at Zack.

"The gift of the goddess…A pure S cell sample will stop the degradation process," said Genesis as he pointed his finger towards Zack.

"Pure?" asked Zack.

"There are…two of you, on the run," grinned Genesis, "One is a former SOLDIER operative. The other, an infantryman."

"That infantryman carries within his body the last pure S-cells in the world!" yelled Hollander, "You cells are completely useless! Your cellular structure has already mutated."

* * *

"Hollander flew off along with Genesis and his copies, heading straight to Cloud. As I got there, he was already there and ready to grab Cloud until Lazard came by and saved him while I took on Hollander and defeated him. Lazard was actually an Angeal copy, taking his physical appearance. He wanted to help me on saving Genesis so I trusted him. After all, Angeal was living inside of him…it felt…right. Plus I knew where Genesis was.

I went to Banora, his hometown, and journeyed down underground. It was then I caught up with Genesis and we clashed against each other. Somehow he returned to normal, cured from the degradation. I took Genesis above ground and saw Lazard lying on the ground with Cloud sitting on a chair. I set Genesis down next to them and heard Lazard saying they were attacked by Shinra. Lazard then…passed away and all of sudden, he disappeared into thin air. I then saw a letter where he once was and saw that it was from you…Aerith.

I couldn't believe it…it's been four years since I was away. And…I couldn't understand when you said 'final' in your letter. I was then determined…determined to return to Midgar and find you. I quickly took Cloud and headed off…Being on the run for so long, I was going to make sure I get to you Aerith, and kept hoping to myself, you were somehow still waiting for me…

We were ambushed by Shinra grunts while we were traveling. They destroyed the motorcycle and we were quickly surrounded by them."

* * *

"Geez, making a big fuss over just the two of us," groaned Zack as he held tightly onto Cloud with his Buster Sword held high in front of him as he stared at the Shinra grunts around him. He saw them aiming their rifles at him and Zack couldn't help but give out a smirk, whispering towards Cloud, "Well then…What should we do now?"

He set Cloud gently down on the ground and stuck his sword at the ground in front of him, using it as a shield to protect him from anything if Shinra tried anything funny. Once Cloud was safely protected, he dashed off towards the Shinra grunts and quickly took out each one in an incredible speed. The Shinra grunts began firing at him, hoping to hit him with their bullets, though Zack was dodging them with flips here and there, making them shooting each other.

"We're in each other's line of fire! We're shooting each other," yelled the commander, "Engage this situation with close combat weapons!"

Zack gave a grin as he heard that. That was a big mistake for them. As the Shinra grunts rushed at him with their swords, Zack easily dodged their attacks, kicking one of them in the face right through his helmet, splitting kicks up in the air, elbowing one in the stomach, and throwing them around against each other like rag dolls.

"He's strong…!" yelled one grunt, shaking in fear, "So this is the strength of a SOLDIER…"

Zack stood tall above the pile of bodies that were laid around him on the ground, the grunts groaning in severe pain he gave to them. He was about to retrieve Cloud until more Shinra grunts came by. He gave a whispered curse under his breath and ran off.

x*x*x

Zack was quickly stopped by two Shinra grunts while they were on their motorcycles. He was about to make a move until a black helicopter appeared over him with its searchlight on him. The Turks have caught up with him and he felt like it just went from bad to worse.

"Surrender quietly. If you do, we will assure you your life," said a female voice from the helicopter.

Zack gave a soft grunt and whispered softly to himself, "I don't need an assurance of my life. What I want…IS FREEDOM!"

x*x*x

Zack had gotten hold of a new motorcycle from one of the Shinra grunts earlier. It seemed he didn't mind letting him borrow it when he knocked him out cold and wasn't rejecting the idea of it, so Zack just took it and drove off. As he returned where he left Cloud, he saw two Shinra grunts trying to remove his sword off from the ground that was blocking Cloud. He casually walked up to both of them and smashed their heads against a steel pillar. The third grunt behind him was shaking in fear, though Zack paid no attention to him and pulled out his sword from the ground, placing it against his back.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting, Cloud," smiled Zack as he kneeled next to the blonde. He picked him up and carried him to the motorcycle, letting him rest against his back and drove off, "Hey, don't be angry! There's no way that I would ever leave my friend behind!"

Cloud didn't respond, but Zack couldn't help but smile warmly at him, though that smile quickly disappeared as the black helicopter returned and was hovering right above him. Zack quickly sped up and drove into a tunnel, grinning at the Turks above him.

"See ya later!"

x*x*x

The motorcycle had run out of gas. Pretty much pointless using it now. Zack picked up Cloud and carried him off with him. It seems he was able to pull some distance between Shinra and him, but he wasn't too sure how long that would last, especially with no vehicle around to use. They were in a somewhat desert terrain now and the only thing he could do was keep on walking. Zack then heard a truck coming by and set Cloud down, waving his arms up in the air towards the incoming vehicle while standing in the middle of the road to block its path.

x*x*x

"Yo! Old guy! We at Midgar yet?" yelled Zack from the back of the truck.

"Shaddap! You're lucky I even gave you a ride!" yelled the old man.

Zack sighed and stared at Cloud with a smile, "What are you doing once we reach Midgar?" Cloud remained silent and Zack continued, "Well…I know what I'm gonna do. No wait, never mind. No I don't. Yep…gotta change my plans! Hmm…no matter what I do, I need some money first…" He clapped his hands together and spoke loudly in excitement and smiled at Cloud, "Hey! Wanna start a business? Though problem is, what would we do?" He got up and knocked at the window to get the driver's attention, "Hey pops, do you know business that I'll be able to do?"

"What are you saying," asked the old man, "You're still young ain't ya? You need to try out everything! You gotta pay your dues while you're still young. Go out and look for what you really want."

"'Everything' he says," groaned Zack to himself, "Not much of a help…HEY! THAT'S RIGHT!" He quickly got up and started performing squats, which was probably kind of dangerous to do since they were on a rocky road and he could bounce off since the truck is moving, but right now he was in too much of a good mood to care, "I have a lot of knowledge and skills that other people don't have right? All right, I've made up my mind! I'll open up a business that does everything! I'm gonna become a mercenary! Yeah! Thanks pops!"

The old man started coughing on his air, completely caught off guard by Zack's response, "Hey…didn't you even hear a word I said?"

"Listen, I'm gonna become a mercenary and that's that," laughed Zack, "Boring stuff, dangerous things…I'm going to do everything depending upon the reward. I'm gonna be rich!"

The old man was groaning loudly in annoyance, not believing what he was hearing. Zack paid no attention to him and sat back down, sitting next to Cloud and smiled at him, "So, Cloud. What are YOU gonna do?" Cloud just continued sitting there, lost in his own mind and remained silent, staring blankly into nothing. Zack waved his hand at him and laughed, "Haha, I'm just kidding! I wouldn't do a thing like that and just abandon you. We're friends, right? Mercenaries, Cloud. That's what you and I are gonna be. We're going to open a business that does everything, together. Do you understand, Cloud?"

Zack got back up and rested his arms on the roof of the truck, staring into the horizon in front of him. Just a little further more and they'll reach Midgar. He wondered how Aerith was doing and how she would react when she sees him. And then, he heard a shot…

x*x*x

The old man quickly drove away when Zack told him to drop him and Cloud off and to get away as fast as he could. Shinra had caught up with them and it seems there weren't letting him get away this time. Zack quickly sat Cloud down and placed him inside a small opening in a huge rock, hoping no one would find him. He kneeled down and smiled weakly at Cloud, giving out a small chuckle and playfully rubbing his head. He got back up and slowly walked away, his back facing Cloud.

Hundreds of Shinra grunts aimed their rifles at Zack, forcing him to a complete stop. Zack examined the area and shook his head, rubbing his forehead, wishing this could be avoided.

"Oh oh boy," sighed Zack with a light smile on his face, "The price of freedom…sure is steep."

Zack removed his Buster Sword and held it high above him. He brought it down closer to him and rested his forehead at the flat side of the sword. He spoke softly to himself and remembered what Angeal had always told him.

"Embrace your dreams and…whatever happens…protect your honor." He swung the sword and switched to his usual battle position, gripping tightly onto the handle and charged at them, "I AM EX-SOLDIER 1st CLASS, ZACK FAIR! COME AND GET ME!"

x*x*x

A storm had passed by and began raining hard. Tired. So very tired. He took out as many as he could, yet more still kept coming. He groaned in pain and kneeled onto the ground, trying to catch his breath. A grunt came by and was ready to shoot, but Zack quickly fired a Firaga spell at him, watching the blast push him far away. Another grunt came and before Zack could call out another spell, the grunt fired and shot his Materia bracelet off of him. Zack groaned and watch the small Materia orbs roll away on the ground. The grunt rushed up to him and Zack took him out with one swing of his sword, watching him fall hard onto the ground.

Just when he thought it was over, he heard another troop yelling out towards his comrades, "There he is! After him!"

"Damnit!" yelled Zack.

He quickly turned his back and rushed off, trying to sprint away, retreating to pick up Cloud from his safe spot. Zack spotted him, still where he was and untouched. Zack gave a weak sigh of relief knowing he was fine and rushed up to him.

"I'm getting you out of here," mumbled Zack.

Three grunts slowly crept behind Zack, but Zack was too weak to notice them and was focusing all of his attention towards Cloud. Cloud tried to utter a word, but no sounds could come out of his mouth. One of the grunts raised his rifle up and aimed it behind Zack, ready to fire. Cloud slowly lifted up his hand, trying to point a finger at him to warn Zack. The ex-SOLDIER noticed this and as he looked behind him, he heard a rifle going off and felt something going right through him.

"ARGH!"

Zack cried in pain and kneeled to the ground. He groaned and bite his lip, trying to fight off the pain. He pushed himself up and slowly walked away, trying to lead them away from Cloud. Sadly, he reached the edge of the cliff and found nowhere to run or hide.

"You got nowhere to run now," stated one grunt.

Zack turned around to face the three grunts that stood in front of him. He lifted up his sword, ready to fight back with whatever strength he had left, but before he could even make a move, he heard another gun shot. Zack cried in pain and fell down on his back. He coughed up blood and could see the three grunts surrounding him.

One of the grunts aimed his rifle at his chest, "Your finished..." After that, he began firing rapidly.

The only thing Zack could do was scream in pain, feeling the spray of bullets going inside of his chest. After that…everything went completely dark…and soon, dead silence.

**END OF: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM**

* * *

Eh, pretty long. I'm pretty sure most of you already know all of these things going on already if you played the game. Just thought it was best to add it for my story you know. XP Some parts a little quick and some parts a little long than they should be and I'm sorry for that if it caused any problems. Anyways, hope you will leave a review. Next chapter…SURVIVAL!


	18. HERO'S COME BACK

Sorry for the long wait! I'm really sorry! I hope you can forgive me. I've been busy for awhile and life can be so complicated sometimes (or most of the time). I'm taking an English course right now in college. Hoping that will help me improve my writing skills and make my chapters better than ever and become perfect…Anyways, hope you'll enjoy the chapter. This is the last chapter of the flashback-arch!

* * *

**CHAPTER 017: HERO'S COME BACK**

"You were shot to death?" asked Aerith, completely shocked as she covered her mouth with her hand.

Zack gave a weak nod and scratched the back of his head, "Yeah. Of course, I don't remember anything after that…Cloud?"

Cloud nodded lightly, "I'll continue it from here. My vision was blurry and I was still weak, but I could hear everything else, clear as day…"

* * *

One of the grunts noticed Cloud resting against a nearby rock and walked up to him. He pointed his rifle at Cloud's head, but saw he wasn't responding. He was just sitting there doing nothing. He poked Cloud's head with a light tap of his rifle and still got no response from him. The only thing he saw from him was his chest slowing rising and falling, demonstrating he was alive.

"Sir! Over here!" yelled the grunt.

The red uniformed commander walked up to where one of his men was and noticed him pointing his rifle down at Cloud. He kneeled down next to him and examined him, checking his condition.

"What should we do with him?" asked the grunt as he lowered his weapon.

The commander grabbed hold of Cloud's chin and checked around his face. As he released his grip, he spat on his face, and kicked him hard onto the ground. Cloud still remained motionless and didn't even made a sound when he got hit. He examined the blond one more time and gave out a soft chuckle.

"He looks dead to me. Let him rot with his friend."

The commander and the two grunts soon strolled away, leaving Cloud alone. Once the three troops were gone and everything went quiet, Cloud slowly pushed himself up and dragged himself next to Zack's body. He was surrounded by a puddle of his own blood and his hand was gripping tightly onto the handle of his sword. He lowered his head as he tried to fight back the tears in his eyes. Zack tried so hard to protect him, he ended up losing his own life, and now Cloud was alone. Then he felt something hitting from above him. He looked up to see that it was raining hard, almost like the sky was crying for Zack's death after the events that had just been unfold. He stared at the rainy sky above him and gave out a loud scream of pain, despair,...sadness. The only time he stopped was when he ran out of air in his lungs and couldn't any longer.

As Cloud lowered his head back down, he heard a weak gasping sound. He quickly raised his head around and scouted the area around him, wondering where it was coming from. The only sound he could hear was the rain pouring down hard and onto the ground. A second later, he heard the gasping again. He looked down and could have sworn he saw Zack's chest slowly rising and falling. He pressed his ear closer to his friend's mouth and placed a finger on his neck to feel for his pulse. There was a pulse and he could hear the sound of him gasping for air. Zack was still alive! Though Zack barely hanging on and it seemed he didn't have that much time left.

Cloud made Zack release his grip on his sword and lifted him up, letting him rest on his back, which caused Cloud to lean slightly forward. He was struggling and groaning in pain as he tried to stand on his two feet with Zack's weight pushing him down, but he choose to ignore it. Right now he was more focused on getting Zack out of here and finding some help. He placed his right arm behind his back underneath Zack to support him while he used his free hand to carry Zack's Buster Sword, dragging the tip of the blade against the dirt. He stared at Midgar that stood in front of him and began trudging off towards the city...

* * *

"I carried Zack on my back as I made my journey to Midgar. It was difficult trying to protect him and defending myself when we were attacked by a few monsters, but I kept pushing on. I wasn't going to give up…I was fighting to survive. I was fighting…for the both of us," explained Cloud, "I then manage to sneak inside of Midgar, but I was getting worse. I was becoming more tired, weaker, and ready to collapse...I wasn't too sure how long I could keep on going."

* * *

Cloud grunted in pain with Zack on his back, still unconscious. He couldn't take another step. His strength was nearly drained and his vision was becoming more blurry to the point where he couldn't see where he was going or where he was at. Next thing he knew, he collapsed onto the wet ground below him, dropping the Buster Sword and Zack onto the ground. It was difficult to breath and everything was growing dark. Was it really going to end like this? His eyes were half-way closed until he heard a voice, calling out towards him, sounding worried.

"Are you okay?"

Cloud could tell it was a woman's voice, but he wasn't too sure whose voice was it. Yet, that voice sounded so familiar like he heard it from somewhere. He could see a shadowy blurry figure in his vision, but he was so weak, he couldn't focus. He gave out a grunt towards the person, his voice sounding like a whisper, "Please…save him." After that, everything grew dark and silent.

* * *

"After that point on...I don't know what happened," mumbled Cloud softly, but made sure everyone could still hear him.

"I do. I was waiting for Barret and the others in Sector 7 to return from their mission at the train station," mumbled Tifa softly as she lowered her head, "It was then I found you and Zack in terrible conditions…"

* * *

Tifa gave a sigh as she held an umbrella over her head as she waited for the train to come. The rain drops were getting through the cracks and holes from the plate above and reaching down to the slums. There were days when it did rain, but she never saw it raining this hard before. First time for anything, she guessed. She looked at the clock at the lamp post in front of her and it was getting late. Barret should have been here by now along with the others.

"I guess I'll just wait for them back in the bar," said Tifa to herself.

As she was about to leave, she heard grunting. She turned her head to the side to see a man struggling while he was walking out of the train graveyard in the abandon section of Sector 7. He was holding onto a huge sword with his left hand while he was carrying another man on his back. He had spiky blond hair and Tifa had a feeling she met him somewhere before. He then collapsed onto the ground, dropping the sword and the man off of his back.

Tifa quickly rushed towards the man's side, "Are you okay?"

The blond gave out a grunt and his voice sounding like he was whispering to her, "Please…save him." After that, he was out cold.

"Hey! Stay with me!" yelled Tifa, but it was no use. She bit her lip and then focused her attention towards the second man the blond man was carrying. She went to his side and rolled him to make him lay on his back. She gasped in shock and covered her mouth with her hand as she recognized the man. He had long black hair, an x-shaped scar on his cheek, and wore a SOLDIER uniform.

"Zack?"

She examined the bullet holes that were in his uniform and the blood stain all over it. She focused her attention back to the blond male and brushed a piece of his hair to get a better look of him and gave out another gasp as she couldn't believe what she saw.

"Cloud!"

She turned her head to the right to face Zack and then to the left back to Cloud, then back to Zack, then to Cloud, and so on and so forth. She kept turning her head from side to side, thoughts and questions racing into her mind. What happened to these two? Where have they been after all these years? She didn't know what to do or what she WAS supposed to do. No, she knew the first thing she had to do was to take care of them and the only way to do that was to take them to her bar. Tifa then raised her head up as she heard a train coming and blowing its whistle as it came into complete stop at the station. As the door opened, she saw a tall dark skinned man with a gun-arm coming out along with three other figures coming out of the door behind him, two males and one female.

The gun-armed man saw Tifa with two males lying on the ground and quickly ran up to her, "Tifa! What's going on? Who are these two?"

"Barret! Help me get these two to the bar now!" ordered Tifa.

Barret was confused on what was going on, but decided to do what he was told. Jessie went to help Tifa carry Cloud, Biggs carried Zack by making him lay against his back, and both Wedge and Barret carried the Buster Sword to the bar.

x*x*x

"How are they?" asked Tifa worriedly.

"The blond male will be all right," said Jessie. She then focused her attention towards the black haired male and gave out a weak sigh, "This guy, however, is in terrible condition and barely hanging on. It's a miracle though. Usually one would never survive from these kinds of wounds."

Jessie gave out another sigh and went back on removing the bullets from Zack's chest and placing them in a silver bowl while Wedge placed a sponge on her forehead once in awhile to remove the sweat. Biggs just stood at the side, watching Jessie operate and Barret had his arms crossed as he stared at Tifa.

"So what's the story with these two?" asked Barret.

"The blond male's name is Cloud…a childhood friend," whispered Tifa softly. She then pointed a finger towards Zack, "The blacked hair guy that Jessie is operating on is Zack, SOLDIER 1st Class."

Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge stared at Tifa with their eyes wide opened while Barret was choking on his air and stared angrily at her, "Did you say SOLDIER?"

"That's what I said," said Tifa, giving out a soft glare towards Barret, not liking to repeat herself.

"SOLDIER? Aren't they the enemy?" asked Jessie.

"Damn straight they are the enemy!" yelled Barret as he stomped his foot on the wooden floor, "Da hell are we doin' lettin' them stay in our hideout!"

"And what was I suppose to Barret? Leave them in the rain to suffer in the conditions they were in?" replied Tifa, yelling back in equal tone with Barret.

"YES!"

Tifa crossed her arms and gave out a dark cold glare at him, then simply turned her head away to ignore Barret and focused her attention to Jessie, "Please do what you can, Jessie. I have questions I want to ask them."

Jessie gave out a weak nod and went back on removing the bullets out of Zack's body and stitching his wounds shut. Barret gave out a curse and walked out of the room while the others just stayed in the room. As Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie were focused on the two males, Tifa turned her head away, hiding her single tear so the three won't it.

'_Oh Cloud…what happened to you…'_

x*x*x

Six days had passed since Tifa had found Cloud and Zack, yet they still haven't woken up yet from their coma-like state. She always came into the room and sat next to Cloud, checking to see how he was doing and would occasionally clean his face with a wet towel. The last time she saw him was before he left Nibelheim to become SOLDIER when they were sitting on top of the well in the center of town. She couldn't believe how much he grown and wondered how much he, himself, changed. After losing her father and hometown, she felt like she lost everything, but seeing Cloud right here in front of her, she now felt he was all what she had left.

Tifa then stared at Zack, his chest wrapped around with white bandages. Jessie had stitched his wounds closed and cleaned his body, telling her that Zack would be fine as long as he got plenty of rest so she didn't have to worry. But she was thinking differently about him. She felt angry, her lips tightening, her eyes burning, her blood boiling when she stared him. She knew though it wasn't Zack's fault for what happened to Nibelheim and what happened to the townsfolk, for that was all Sephiroth's doing, but she couldn't help herself. Seeing him again reminded her of the pain of losing her hometown, her father, her friends, and her neighbors. She tried so hard to suppress the pain after that incident and now seeing Zack again, all that pain was coming back to her. Though, when she stared at Cloud, all that pain inside of her disappeared and for some odd reason, she could feel her lips trying to form a smile. She placed her hand lightly on Cloud's cheek and then felt her face turning red. She quickly got up and tried to cover her face up so Cloud wouldn't notice it, despite him still being unconscious. As her face returned color, she stared at Cloud one last time and gave out a weak smile.

'_Please get well, Cloud.'_

x*x*x

The next day, Tifa was carrying a bag of food and as she walked into the room where Cloud and Zack were sleeping in, she saw Cloud sitting at the edge of his bed, his arms resting against his legs as he watched Zack resting. Tifa dropped her bag, ignoring the food falling out as she just stood there staring at the blond.

"Cloud!"

Cloud snapped out of his thoughts and stared at Tifa and as he saw her, he couldn't believe his own eyes, "Ti-Tifa?"

Tifa quickly ran towards Cloud and hugged him as tightly as she could. She couldn't help herself but burst into tears as she saw him awake and as he placed a hand on her back, she was filled with pure joy, happy to feel his touch.

"Were…you the one that saved us?" asked Cloud, still surprised that he was reunited with Tifa.

She slowly pulled herself off of Cloud and wiped the last tear away from her eye and smiled softly at him, "Yes. I saw you coming out of the train graveyard at the abandon section of Sector 7."

"Zack…is he-"

"Don't worry, he'll be fine," said Tifa as she knew what Cloud was going to ask. She had so many questions to ask, but she tried her best to ask only a few and the important ones for the time being, "What happened to you?"

"I…can't remember much…head hurts," groaned Cloud as he placed the palm of his head against his forehead, "How long has it been?"

"…Seven years…"

_'She doesn't know I was there when Nibelheim was burning...but have I really been gone for five years?' _thought Cloud. He lowered his head and mumbled softly, "Seven years huh..."

Tifa gave a weak nod and then turned her head away from Cloud, focusing her attention straight ahead, "A lot has happened you know."

Before Tifa could say another word, she heard a soft grunt. Cloud also heard it and saw Zack regaining his conscious back. He tried to sit himself upright, but Cloud quickly moved next to him and gently laid his back down against the bed.

"Easy now Zack," said Cloud.

Zack opened his eyes and was gently rubbing them as he was trying to adjust them to the light in the room, "Ugh…what…happened? Where am I?"

"You're in a friend's place," replied Cloud.

"Cloud? Cloud!" yelled Zack happily, pushing himself up. He gave out a painful groan as he tried to sit up, but did his best to fight it, "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"I told you to be easy. Anyways, I'm fine. I should be asking if you are all right. You were shot multiple times and I got worried that I might have lost you," mumbled Cloud.

"Heh…I told you an average grunt couldn't take me on hahaha-OW! Argh…it hurts when I laugh," groaned Zack.

"Then don't laugh punk," said a new voice.

Everyone in the room turned to see Barret who had just entered the room. He first stared at Cloud then focused his attention towards Zack.

"Tifa who is he?" asked Cloud as he got up, staring angrily towards Barret.

"Relax Cloud," smiled Tifa softly as she stood up and blocked Cloud from doing anything drastic, "This is Barret, the leader of AVALANCHE."

"Wait a minute…your name is Tifa? And did you also say AVALANCHE?" asked Zack.

"At least I don't have to reintroduce myself to you," replied Tifa as she gave a light glare towards Zack.

"Teh. Yeah, she said AVALANCHE. Though we are nothing like the first group. We are a small team and less ruthless. Our main goal is to help the people of the Midgar slums," explained Barret as he also gave out a glare towards Zack, "Tifa told us you were a SOLDIER 1st Class. Personally I would've left you to rot, but Tifa said she had questions for you."

"What kind of questions?" asked Zack.

"I actually have many I want to ask, but for now I'll ask the most important one…are you still loyal to Shinra?" asked Tifa angrily.

Zack remained silent for a minute and gave out a soft chuckle, "No…I'm not. You can just call me ex-SOLDIER."

"You in SOLDIER and expect us to believe your word?" asked Barret.

"See this?" asked Zack as he pointed a finger towards his chest, "I got this from the Shinra . Why else would I have multiple bullet wounds on me?"

"Ya could've gotten that from anywhere," grunted Barret, "Fine, whatever. But I'm keeping my eye on both of you so you better not do anything stupid or else."

"Heh, I got nothing to hide," said Zack as he gave out a grin.

"Why would Shinra shoot at you though?" asked Tifa.

Zack lowered his head and his voice could barely be heard, "Let's just say they don't like the idea of people leaving their 'post'…"

Tifa had more questions to ask, but saw Cloud staring at her. By the looks of his eyes, she could have sworn she saw sadness in them and telling her to trust him and Zack. Tifa gave out a sigh as she decided not to push her luck and walked out of the room. Before she left, she turned her head to look over her shoulder at the two.

"You two rest. We have a mission were planning on and if your interested your free to join in," explained Tifa.

"What kind of mission?" asked Zack.

"Just wait till tomorrow. But are you up for it, SOLDIER? Don't worry, you'll be paid for your 'cooperation' if you do take the job," replied Barret and after that, closed the room on them.

Zack sighed and laid himself back down on his bed. He just stared at the ceiling in front of him and turned his head to see his Buster Sword resting against the wall next to him with his shirt hanging on top of a chair. He could tell that it was cleaned and stitched up, seeing the holes closed up.

"You all right Zack?" asked Cloud.

"I'm fine," replied Zack. He turned his head to face the blond and saw him sitting back down on his bed, "I was just thinking about the mission they have in store for us."

"You shouldn't be taking on a mission Zack. Just look at the condition your in."

"I'm fine…I heal fast," laughed Zack weakly, "Besides. This has been my dream…to be mercenary. I'll gladly take on any job as long as the reward is good."

Cloud laid his back against his bed and stared at the ceiling above him, "Typical Zack..."

Zack smiled and closed his eyes, whispering softly to Cloud, "Rest up. This is going to be our moment to shine."

* * *

"Yeah…that does sound about right," replied Zack, "The next day, Barret introduced us to the gang and we went over the plans on bombing the first mako reactor. I'm sure by now, you all know the rest on what happened after that. It all soon lead to one another and now, here we are."

Aerith, Tifa, and Cloud remained silent while Barret looked completely tired, almost like he ran a marathon, "Damn…one hell of a story if you ask me."

"It's getting late, we should rest up," suggested Cloud.

Zack nodded in agreement, "Right. After all, we need to leave early as possible so we can get a good start."

"You don't need to tell me twice. I'm going, going, going, gone!" yelled Barret as he got up from his seat and dashed off into his room. The gang laughed softly together and before Zack could leave as well, Tifa stopped him.

"Wait, Zack." The ex-SOLDIER froze in place and turned his head to face Tifa, tilting his head at her. "I want to apologize."

"For what?" asked Zack in confusion.

"I blamed you for the incident on Nibelheim and everything else. I didn't mean to do," whispered Tifa softly, "I was just so angry...I just...I know it was selfish of to pin all the problems on you and I'm really sorry."

Zack just gave out a chuckle and smiled towards Tifa, "It's all right. It's understandable. Though, it is my fault in a way. If only I had stayed with Sephiroth in the basement, none of those things could have happened. You would...still have your father and your home..."

Tifa remained silent and nodded her head weakly at him and then it was Aerith's turn to stand up and speak, "Uh…Zack…"

"Hey…come on. It's late you. You two ladies need to rest. Tomorrow, we can all talk as much as we want," smiled Zack.

Aerith wanted to protest, but knew Zack was right and nodded in agreement," Okay…"

Tifa placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder and smiled softly at him. Cloud returned the smile with one of his own and watched as Tifa left the lounge with Aerith walking behind her as they headed to their room. Zack then placed a light grip on Cloud's shoulder, suggesting they should get a good rest themselves. Cloud nodded and followed Zack as they headed towards their own room upstairs. The only one that was left in lounge area was Red, but he seemed like he was enjoying where he was at.

"What a fascinating story…" whispered Red to himself as he wagged his tail.

**END OF: HERO'S COME BACK**

* * *

DONE! Finally! Argh! Haha, sorry everyone for the late update. Well, next chapter, the gang is heading out! Hopefully the next update won't take as long. I just want to make a few points:

I know in the timeline, it was late September when Zack and Cloud arrived just the outskirts of Midgar and also when Zack died in the original story. Also, Tifa doesn't meet Cloud until somewhere around early October. So in other words, because of Zack's state, he should have been dead while being carried to Midgar because his wounds weren't treated right away and that even though Zack is 'enhanced,' he is still human. Just trust me on this okay people? Pwease? Pwease? Anyways, please leave your a review. Good, bad, yatta yatta, you know the rest.

P.S. Thank you to Irish-Brigid and Riku Uzumaki for leaving a review on the previous two chapters. I really appreciate it and I got worried if I was even going to get any reviews at all. I will update just as long I at least get one review in a chapter. Better than nothing ya know? So again, arigatou gozaimasu to the both of you!


End file.
